On 25 May 2026, a meeting of the National Barrier-Free Council was held. Yuliia Svyrydenko, Prime Minister of Ukraine, chaired the event, with the participation of the First Lady Olena Zelenska, members of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, heads of central executive bodies, regional military administrations, community representatives, international partners, specialized experts, and civil society representatives.
The meeting marked the opening of the annual National barrier-free week, held in Ukraine from 25 May to 31 May. Participants discussed the progress in implementing barrier-free policy based on the results of the first quarter of 2026, as well as the development of systemic solutions in the areas of barrier-free communication and education.
“Unfortunately, painful clichés such as “disabled”, “down”, and “bezkhatko” still persist in headlines, texts, and stories, and therefore in the speech of readers and listeners. This does not mean that society does not want to change. Knowledge indicates direction, but it is habit that guides us every day. Therefore, change occurs when new actions become habitual. And for this, one must see the person behind the words,” emphasized Ms Olena Zelenska.
For National barrier-free week, the Council of Europe project “Strengthening the social dimension in Ukraine”, in cooperation with the Advisor – Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for Barrier-Free Environment, has prepared a brochure “Barrier-Free is when you can” (available in Ukrainian only), which highlights flagship projects of ministries within the framework of the National Strategy for Creating a Barrier-Free Space in Ukraine until 2030. The brochure presents successful cases of barrier-free projects implemented by ministries since 2021, demonstrating practical progress in creating an barrier-free and human-centered environment in Ukraine.
According to the results of a UNICEF survey, 63% of Ukrainians report having already seen examples of barrier-free solutions in their communities. In particular, 25% correctly define informational accessibility, 26% identify the economic dimension of accessibility, and 28% recognize educational accessibility.
The Council of Europe will continue to systematically support the implementation of the National Strategy for Creating a Barrier-Free Environment in Ukraine until 2030, in line with the priorities of the Council of Europe project “Strengthening the social dimension in Ukraine”, implemented within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” for 2023-2026.
