Recommendations on Cooperation between Humanitarian Organizations and IDP Councils - Protection Cluster Ukraine

IDP Councils serve as advisory, representative, and mediating bodies. They contribute to the creation and implementation of regional and local policies related to protection of the IPDs’ rights and interests, and actively participate in local self-government. IDP Councils operate according to principles of legality, transparency, collegiality, election, democracy, accountability, and responsibility to communities. They are not legal entities. More information can be found in the factsheet. The model regulation on IDP Councils was approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 812 of 4 August 2023, which outlines provisions on the procedure for establishing, composition and main tasks of the IDP Council. Resolution provides the following definition: The Council on Internally Displaced Persons (IDP Council) is a consultative body to the local administration at regional, raion or hromada level, established by the decree of the Head of local administration to participate in the implementation of regional policy on protection of the rights and interests of IDPs and to facilitate activities of local communities focusing on development of effective mechanisms for IDPs adaptation and integration.

Protection Cluster in Ukraine promotes and supports IDP Councils to ensure displaced people participation in public affairs and decision-making processes, ownership of solutions to their displacement and that specific needs and concerns are considered in local policy development. Support to IDP Councils by the humanitarian organizations should be reported to the Protection Cluster under community-based protection (CBP) activities, indicating number of individuals who participated in CBP activities and/or number of individuals in a community trained on protection approaches or issues, depending on a specific type of activities.

In order to ensure sustainability and self-sufficiency of IDP Councils, humanitarian organizations should provide support aimed at strengthening the capacity of IDP Councils, while avoiding direct financing of their activities or involvement of IDP Councils in direct provision of services to IDPs, except for awareness raising. The list below contains the recommendations of the Protection Cluster, developed jointly with the Stabilization Support Services, indicating desirable areas of cooperation between humanitarian organizations and IDP Councils and highlighting the areas, which may bring about specific risks.