Actions of current power are similar in each extreme situation, – “Restoring Donbas”

23:21 / 27 Apr. 2017 / 522

During the last three years, the state of Ukraine has faced a number of challenges. Its reaction was similar and inefficient. Starting from the course of events of 2014 in Crimea and Donbas, ending with sensational explosion of ammunition in Kharkiv region. Therefore, nowadays, there is an urgent need to work out a simple and understandable unified algorithm of actions both for the state and citizens for each disaster. It was discussed during the round table “Social rights of IDPs: the right to employment and social security”, which was organized by the “Restoring Donbas” community initiative of Oleksandr Klymenko.

Olena Petryayeva, the head of the initiative, noted: “We have to create a large set of rules and developments for Ukraine as a whole. The power should react quickly and correctly to floods, explosions and any other disasters. Nowadays, it is pointwise. This topic was intentionally added to the discussion of problems, which IDPs face with. Their instance and the problems they face with will allow us to work out such an algorithm or to work out recommendations for its creation”.

According to her, even in 2014, the state did not cope with the problem of IDPs. That time, representatives of the public played the role of the state. However, even now, three years later, the power still avoids resolving the issue of IDPs. “Monitoring of power”, which is carried out by the “Restoring Donbas” community initiative each month, demonstrates that only 18 draftlaws on IDPs were adopted among 123, which were registered in the Verkhovna Rada during the last three years. Only three of it are devoted to social protection and pension provision. Only 7% out of 1.5 million IDPs were granted with housing. 60% of them rent apartments at their own expense. The rest of them survive as they can. Since 2014, the amount of compensation payments has not been revised. In fact, there is an impoverishment of this category. Therefore, it is not surprising that amount of IDPs is gradually decreasing.

“Nowadays, the main problem is the low quality of legislations and draftlaws, the lack of motivation of public servants during their work with IDPs and ignorance of basic elements of legal aid. Person, who requires assistance, comes to an official, who does not know, how to help. Here is a zero at the exit”, – Zhanna Lukyanenko, the Representative of the Commissioner for observance of the rights of the internally displaced persons (IDPs), stated.

Experts, who took part in the roundtable, told about the uniformity of reaction to any force majeure situation and absence of a single state system of prevention of these challenges. The civil defence system was destroyed. Nothing new was created. All these facts lead to the fact that the state react point-by-point. Later it forgets about it.

According to Yuri Gavrilechko, expert from the “Public Security Fund” LTD, “We remember about the anniversary of Chernobyl only on this date”. We have too much force majeure circumstances. Each subsequent put into the shade the previous one. The power will also forget about the IDPs soon.  Oksana Pankova – the head of the economic sociology sector in the Institute of Industrial Economics at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine – expressed the same opinion: “Last time, when the authorities were interested in the IDPs, was in 2015. Since 2016, it has been decreased. This problem can be completely forgotten by 2018. International actors are more involved in resolving this problem than the Ukrainian state”.

Ruslan Rigovanov, Development Director of the “Single Coordination Centre Donbas” NGO, drew the attention of participants of the roundtable to the fact that according to international standards, the status of the IDP lasts for three years. After that the person is considered to be fully adapted to the new place of residence. Thus, all IDPs, who received such status in 2014, can lose it.

The participants of the roundtable agreed that the Central government has kept itself aloof from resolving the IDP’s issue. Moreover, they transferred some of the functions to local authorities and did not provide it with corresponding financing. The experts also discussed the issue of termination of social payments, pensions for IDPs, and compulsory services through Oschadbank. The opinion is unequivocal – we should put person first. A person should independently choose social services instead of accepting the imposed rules by the state.

As a result of the roundtable, its participants came to the conclusion that nowadays, there is no comprehensive vision of the situation on IDPs in Ukraine, there is no monitoring base for the problems of IDPs. Consequently, the state cannot determine the needs of these people. “It is necessary to create a monitoring group that will conduct annual sociological surveys of the IDP’s problems. It should take part in legislative activities and fulfil strict control over its implementation”, – Olena Petryayeva, the head of the “Restoring Donbas” community initiative, concluded. In addition, she offered all the participants to take part in drafting Recommendations for the Verkhovna Rada and the Cabinet on the results of the roundtable. It is planned to send such Recommendations by mid-May 2017.

Let us remind, earlier the experts of the «Restoring Donbas» community initiative analyzed the amended  “Temporary procedures for control over movements of individuals, vehicles and goods along the contact line in Donetsk and Luhansk regions”.

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