On 27 November, the closing event of the Council of Europe project “Enhanced social protection in Ukraine” took place in Kyiv. During the event, the results of the project’s two-year activity, achieved in cooperation with national partners, were presented and discussed. The event brought together high-ranking officials from the Government of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Office of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, the Office of the President of Ukraine, the judiciary, international and civil society organisations, experts in the field of social rights.
Maciej Janczak, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, reminded that the project, implemented under the Action Plan for Ukraine 2023-2026 “Resilience, Recovery, and Reconstruction”, aimed to support Ukrainian authorities and other partners in ensuring a decent level of social protection for vulnerable groups, including those affected by the war. “Over the past two years, the project has significantly contributed to reforms in Ukraine’s social and labour sectors. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the national partners for their commitment, perseverance, and resilience in promoting social rights reforms in cooperation with the Council of Europe. I would like to confirm that Ukraine can count on the Council of Europe’s continued support in its efforts to protect the rights of its citizens, especially in light of its ongoing EU accession process”, he mentioned.
Ukraine’s social sector is undergoing a profound transformation. The old social model is unable to effectively address the current challenges and urgent needs caused by the war and does not correspond to the European standards or Ukraine’s strategic course towards the European Union integration. The project provided comprehensive support and expertise to improve the legislative framework for social and labour rights in line with the standards of the European Social Charter. It also enhanced the authorities’ capacity to design and implement more effective, gender-sensitive social policies and services by offering research, advice, training and facilitating dialogue which resulted in more informed decision-making. These efforts contributed to more inclusive and sustainable social services in Ukraine to be further benefitted by a wide range of persons from vulnerable groups.
Additionally, the project provided support and training to improve reporting to the European Committee of Social Rights. It raised awareness of social rights and the European Social Charter system among various target groups in Ukraine. These groups included civil servants, judges, lawyers, university professors, teachers, and students, through informational events, training programs, educational and promotional materials.
All project partners reaffirmed their readiness and intention to continue cooperating with the Council of Europe to strengthen Ukraine’s social protection system. “Ukraine remains committed to European standards and is working tirelessly to implement them at the national level. We are actively improving legislation in line with European requirements, which not only guarantees the rights of citizens but also strengthens trust in the state, especially in times of war,” said Oksana Zholnovych, Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine.
Halyna Tretiakova, Head of the Parliament Committee of Social Policy and Protection of Veterans’ Rights, emphasized: “The Council of Europe platform for the protection of social rights is a significant asset for Ukrainians, as it allows us to engage with high-level experts to identify solutions to the challenges Ukraine faces.”
Leaflet with project’s results
Video on the results of grants implementation within the project
