On 23 March 2023 the official launching event of the Council of Europe Project “Enhanced social protection in Ukraine”took place.

Mr Christophe Poirel, Human Rights Director, Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law, Council of Europe, noted: “The project has been developed in close co-operation with the Ukrainian authorities, following the assessment of the needs and key issues in the area of social rights in times of war, with consideration of the priorities outlined for the social reconstruction in the Lugano declaration following the Ukraine Recovery Conference”.

The participants discussed the issues and challenges of  social rights in Ukraine during the war, as well as the implementation of the provisions of the European Social Charter. During the meeting of the steering committee, the work plan of the project for 2023-2024 was presented and approved.

Ms Olena Lytvynenko, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, a.i., mentioned: “Within the scope of the project, a number of activities are planned: expert and legal assistance, education and trainings. And of course, the project will continue to serve as a platform for the dissemination of experience and standards that are currently being formed in Ukraine in the field of social rights”.

Social rights are core European values. Respect for and the promotion of social rights is essential in attaining sustainable democracy in Ukraine.

The full-scale war launched against Ukraine by the Russian Federation on 24 February 2022, affected the lives of millions of Ukrainians who fled abroad, became internally displaced people, whose houses were destroyed, with their social and economic rights violated. The crisis caused by the war against Ukraine should not have as a consequence the reduced protection of the rights recognised by the European Social Charter, both within Ukraine and beyond its borders. States parties to the Charter are bound to take all necessary steps to ensure that Charter rights are effectively guaranteed at all times. With this in mind, it is of utmost importance to provide support to the Government of Ukraine in its efforts to ensure the right to protection against poverty (Article 30 of the Charter) and the right to housing (Article 31 of the Charter).

Ms Oksana Zholnovych, Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine, said: “Ukraine's European integration course forces us to constantly pay attention to the European Social Charter, to prioritize it in our goals. Therefore, synchronization of efforts,  inclusion of the best practices, involvement of international and Ukrainian specialists within the framework of Council of Europe projects are a serious strengthening of the ministry in the formation of certain policies”.

Thus, the Project’s aim is that people from vulnerable groups, including war-affected population in Ukraine, enjoy improved levels of social rights and social protection. It will contribute to the efficient implementation of the on-going priority reforms in the areas of social protection and social services, labour rights, employment, rights of persons with disabilities, reintegration of veterans into peaceful life and others.

To achieve this, a combination of targeted activities is envisaged in two directions. Firstly, the policy and legislative framework on social rights will be further aligned with the European standards, more particularly the European Social Charter and case law of the European Committee of Social Rights. Secondly, national and regional authorities will be encouraged and capacitated to promote the social rights of persons from vulnerable groups and the general public, in particular addressing the issue of non-take up of social rights.

Ms Galyna Tretiakova, Head of the Parliamentary Committee on Social Policy and Veteran’s Rights, thanked the Council of Europe for its help in introducing at the legislative level in Ukraine the principles and approaches to ensuring the social rights of people, especially those who have fallen into difficult life circumstances, in accordance with of the European Social Charter and added: “This is an extremely important job - not to lose the social protection that is available today for low-income groups of the population, for large families, for internally displaced persons, the number of whom has much increased nowadays”.

The project aims at further supporting the Ukrainian authorities in addressing the current challenges posed by the war in the area of social rights, implementing the reforms already embarked on in the above-mentioned areas, in line with the requirements of the European Social Charter and relevant European standards, as well as ensuring that the post-war recovery phase is as short and effective as possible, including by fully taking on board social rights. The Project covers the period of 01 January 2023 – 31 December 2024 within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resiliency, Recovery and Reconstruction” for 2023-2026.

Mr Dmytro Lubinets, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, underlined: “We have a lot of work to do, but I am convinced that with your support, dear partners, colleagues, we will reach a new level of monitoring and evaluating the social rights of Ukrainian citizens in our country and abroad”.

Among the speakers who joined the discussion of the event were the representatives of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, Secretariat of the Ombudsperson’s Office in Ukraine, Supreme Court, Secretariat of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, Fund for Social Protection of People with Disabilities, National School of Judges of Ukraine, National Service of Mediation and Reconciliation, Coordination Centre for Legal Aid Provision, Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Group,  Ukrainian Bar Association, Higher School of Advocacy of the National Bar Association of Ukraine, Permanent Representation of Ukraine to the Council of Europe as well as Adviser – Representative of the President of Ukraine on Barrier-Free Society, Government Agent before the European Court of Human Rights, international and national consultants.

Participants agreed that Ukraine needs to focus on the provision of social services for all categories of the war-affected population, including IDPs, veterans, people with disabilities, children, as well as people from other vulnerable groups, based on the principles of gender equality, transparency and sustainability.