The forum is happening on October 17-18 in Poltava. IDP councils are advisory bodies that advocate for the rights and interests of internally displaced persons.

The event will be attended by representatives from six regions of Ukraine: Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovs’k, Poltava, Luhansk, and Donetsk.

Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, welcomed the forum participants. The following speakers also addressed the forum: Philip Pronin, head of the Poltava Regional Military District Administration; Kateryna Yamshchykova, acting mayor of Poltava; Valeria Vershinina, executive director of the Stabilization Support Services Charitable Foundation; and Federico Sersale, representative of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

The event will include discussions on the following topics:

– Support for people who have been forced to leave their homes.

– Housing for IDPs, including temporary housing funds.

– Jobs for IDPs.

– Protecting IDPs.

The Eastern Ukrainian Forum of IDP Councils was organized by Stabilization Support Services and the Ministry of Reintegration with the support of UNHCR.