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Online educational series is launched on Diia.Education to support the development of IDP Councils in Ukraine

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Online educational series is launched on Diia.Education to support the development of IDP Councils in Ukraine

With the aim to further capacitate and empower IDP councils across Ukraine, UNHCR and its NGO partner Stabilization Support Services have launched information and educational material, available for free to millions of users.
15 January 2025 Also available in:
UNHCR and its NGO partner Stabilization Support Services have launched information and educational material, available for free to millions of users

UNHCR and its NGO partner Stabilization Support Services have launched information and educational material, available for free to millions of users.

Today, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and its NGO partner Stabilization Support Services (SSS) in partnership with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine have launched an interactive online education series(link is external)Link is external, designed to support the capacity development of the over 800 Councils of Internally Displaced People across the country.  

The course "IDP Councils: From Adaptation to Impact” includes eight modules and serves as a tool to learn and improve the knowledge of the role of IDP Councils, available partnership opportunities, project development, strategic planning, and effective communication.  

This range of skills will capacitate active internally displaced people to better coordinate their work and influence decision-making process, to ensure the protection of rights and interests of those forced to flee due to the war.  

The series is hosted on the national digital platform Diia.Education, accessible to millions of registered users in Ukraine.  

“The mission of IDP Councils is to advocate for the rights and interests of internally displaced people at the local level. The educational series for IDP Councils will be a useful tool for improving the knowledge and skills necessary for their effective work: from assessing the needs of IDPs to changing local policies. Thanks to specialized training, they will be able to build their capacity faster, to become increasingly powerful supporters of displaced people and help them fully integrate into new communities,” said Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine. 

“IDP Councils serve as a link between displaced people and the local authorities in the communities that have provided safety and a new home. By equipping IDP Councils with the necessary tools and knowledge, like through this educational series, we hope to further strengthen their capacity to participate actively in shaping policies and programmes at local level, and ensure these take the specific needs, interests and capacities of internally displaced persons into consideration. This will facilitate the inclusion of IDPs into their new home communities and their ability to contribute to as full-fledged members of the society,” said Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR Representative in Ukraine.  

“Empowering IDP Councils is not just about providing knowledge, it’s about equipping them with tools to create meaningful change. This educational series marks a significant step in strengthening the ability of displaced communities to influence local policies, advocate for their rights, and contribute to the development of their new home hromadas. By fostering local democracy, collaboration and strategic planning, we aim to ensure that displaced people are not just beneficiaries of support, but active participants in shaping a resilient and inclusive society,” noted Valeriia Vershynina, the Executive Director of the Charitable Foundation “Stabilization Support Services” (SSS).  

“Since 2019, we have been building a convenient digital state in Ukraine, creating understandable and accessible services. Thanks to the Diia.Education platform, Ukrainians have the opportunity to easily improve digital skills and develop new ones thanks to innovative educational products. Over the five years of Diia.Education’s work, more than 200 educational series have been created, and we are proud of this new product, which will provide internally displaced persons with basic knowledge and skills for integration into new communities and help strengthen the economic potential of Ukraine. We believe that mastering modern skills is easy, especially when new opportunities are created on Diia.Osvita,” said Valeriya Ionan, Deputy Minister for Eurointegration at the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine. 

With millions of Ukrainians uprooted by Russia’s full-scale invasion that will soon enter its fourth year, IDP councils have emerged as crucial bodies advocating for the rights of forcibly displaced people. More than 800 such councils have been established under local and regional administrations across Ukraine.  

So far, UNHCR and its NGO partners, most notably Stabilization Support Services (SSS), have supported the establishment of and provided capacity development to over 100 IDP councils. In addition, two all-Ukrainian Forums of IDP Councils were held in 2023 and 2024 to network, strengthen coordination, exchange good practice and devise strategies to improve the effectiveness of the IDP Councils. In 2025, the third national IDP Councils forum will be held in Kyiv.