In Ukraine there are over 800 IDP Councils of various levels. They amplify the voice of IDPs in communities, including by developing programs and policies for their integration in cooperation with communities. Within the framework of the Project “Supporting the Capacity of the Social Protection System to Register Internally Displaced Persons” the Charity Foundation “Stabilization Support Services” organized 8 webinars for IDP Council members to help them address key issues faced by IDPs more effectively. To each event, the Foundation invited a speaker with practical experience and theoretical knowledge in the proposed area to share.
Anton Antonov, project coordinator and webinars moderator:
“The main goal of the webinars is increasing the capacity of IDP Councils. We sought to provide practical tools, clarify legal aspects, and create a platform for sharing experiences. Such events help IDP Council representatives better organize their work, develop partnerships, attract resources, and respond to the needs of their communities.”
The training topics were formed based on an analysis of the needs and requests of the IDP Councils, as well as on the basis of consultations with representatives of the Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories. The webinars covered a wide range of issues:
- Housing policy and solutions for ensuring the housing rights of IDPs.
- Main stages of developing and implementing local targeted IDPs supporting programs.
- Monitoring the effectiveness of local targeted programs.
- Finding partners and attracting funding in communities.The role and capabilities of IDP Councils.
- Features of information campaigns and communication of IDP Councils.
- Public information access.
- Features and main stages of assessing the needs of IDPs in communities.
- Application of a gender-sensitive approach to local targeted programs.
Maryna Makukha, speaker of the webinar “Features of information campaigns and communication of IDP Councils”:
“IDP Councils are a bridge between community authorities and those who were forced to move to new cities and villages and face new challenges. Lack of interaction between all participants in the process make it impossible to achieve the desired results. Therefore, it is important for representatives of IDP Councils to understand how to establish this interaction using communication tools, how to plan it, and what to pay attention to. Our webinar was dedicated to the main issues of organizing the Councils’ communication. Since most IDP Councils members had no previous experience in public work, such webinars are very valuable, as they increase the ability to implement strategic plans.”
Over 2,000 people joined the online meetings. The topics discussed have comprehensively covered the main aspects of the work of IDP Councils and raise their members’ awareness of their rights and responsibilities. The practical tools proposed by the speakers will help them coordinate their work, involve communities, and respond to the challenges faced by IDPs.
“The feedback from the participants was mostly positive. They praised the practical application of the knowledge they gained, the relevance of the topics, and high qualification of the speakers. Many participants expressed gratitude for the opportunity to get answers to specific questions and discuss their cases. Everyone actively interacted with each other: asked questions, participated in discussions. Some shared their experiences, which enriched the webinars with new ideas and examples,” adds Anton Antonov.
We are happy to share the webinar recordings with the speeches of 11 experts with those who were unable to attend but are eager to receive useful information. You will learn about the main aspects of the work of IDP Councils and receive recommendations that will help achieve better results. These videos will be useful not only to those involved in the work of IDP Councils, but also to everyone working in the public sector.
Watch all webinars on our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/3ODvACw.
Webinars for IDP Councils were organized within the framework of the Project “Supporting the Capacity of the Social Protection System to Register Internally Displaced Persons” funded by the United Nations Refugee Agency in Ukraine (UNHCR).
