Paper certificates will be abolished, and benefits will be revised—the Rada has passed a new law on the rights of IDPs
The Verkhovna Rada has adopted Bill No. 12301, which comprehensively updates the legislation on internally displaced persons. The bill provides for the digitization of the process for confirming IDP status and changes to the approaches to state support for displaced persons.
This was reported in a statement by Olena Shulyak, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on the Organization of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development, and Urban Planning. She notes that, going forward, greater attention will be paid to people’s actual needs rather than merely their formal status, and that access to services will be simplified while housing options will be expanded.
One of the law’s key innovations is the establishment of a provision under which internally displaced persons will be able to enjoy the full scope of their constitutional rights and freedoms regardless of whether they are registered as IDPs. As Shulyak explained, additional registration requirements may be applied only when a person applies for special benefits or additional state guarantees, and solely to prevent potential abuse.
The document also provides for the elimination of the traditional certificate of registration as an internally displaced person. Instead, an extract from the relevant state database will serve as confirmation of status. This is expected to simplify access to government services and reduce reliance on paper documents.
Another important change concerns state support for IDPs. The law introduces a needs assessment for IDPs, which will determine the scope of additional guarantees, including financial assistance for living expenses. According to Shulyak, this approach will make it possible to move from providing assistance based solely on formal status to more targeted support for specific individuals or families.
A separate set of changes addresses housing issues.
The law regulates the operation of temporary shelters and provides for various mechanisms to ensure housing for IDPs. These include preferential loans, home ownership, home buyouts, rentals, and other instruments. Parliament notes that the housing issue remains one of the most pressing for displaced persons, so the state must offer not only temporary accommodation but also long-term solutions.
In addition, the law clarifies a number of basic concepts, including “adaptation,” “integration,” “reintegration,” “abandoned place of residence,” and “place of temporary residence.” This should help frame internal displacement as a long-term process encompassing evacuation, adaptation, integration, and the possible return of people to their homes.
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