An expanded meeting of the Presidium of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine was held in Kyiv with the participation of the Office of the President and Government representatives.
Among those attending were Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak; his Deputy and Executive Secretary of the Presidium of the Congress Viktor Mykyta; Deputy Prime Minister for the Restoration of Ukraine – Minister for Communities and Territories Development Oleksii Kuleba; Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity Denys Uliutin; Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko; Minister of Justice German Galushchenko; Head of the Coordination Center for Family Upbringing and Child Care Development Iryna Tulyakova; Head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe Liliia Pashynna; and 22 Heads of Regional Military Administrations.
The main topic was working toward a complete transition from the institutional system of childcare. In a video conference format, participants discussed specific steps and timelines for implementing the Strategy for Ensuring Every Child's Right to Grow Up in a Family Environment. Andriy Yermak instructed that this strategy be made one of the priorities at the regional and local levels in the coming year.
“Unfortunately, we must acknowledge that this issue remains. It must become one of the priority issues in every region. We are ready for any solutions at the Government, Presidential, or Parliamentary level that would enable you to truly create the best conditions in each region,” said the Head of the Presidential Office.
Andriy Yermak also emphasized that one of the state’s most urgent tasks is to identify and verify information about Ukrainian children abducted by Russia. To this end, the Ministry of Justice has developed a special register, which has already been launched. Each region has committed to actively contributing up-to-date information to the register on a local level.
“This concerns more than 1.5 million children under Russia’s control. It is essential for us to understand what is happening with each child, where they are, and in what condition,” said the Head of the Presidential Office.
The Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity highlighted the role of social work specialists, who must engage with children and their families, as well as child protection services, which must intervene promptly to safeguard children. According to him, communities need to develop a clear action plan for situations where a child is left without parental care.
“The Strategy for Ensuring Every Child's Right to Grow Up in a Family Environment is a priority defined by the state, the President, and the Government. Our joint task is to translate this priority into concrete actions at the level of each region and each community. The key objective is for children to grow up in a family, not in an institution,” said Denys Uliutin.
Additionally, the Head of the Presidential Office thanked Congress members and communities for their active participation in implementing the Strategy and called for even greater engagement, including mobilizing funding from partners.
The meeting also addressed legislative support for state regional policy and Government projects and programs to be implemented in regions and communities this year.
“We clearly hear that placing children in families is among the state’s top priorities. I am very grateful that political momentum is being given to the reform. This will significantly strengthen our work. We will continue moving forward,” concluded Iryna Tulyakova.