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1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

The National Technical University of Ukraine "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute" introduced a Master`s program in Sociology with a major in "Conflict Resolution and Mediation" for the 2017-2018 academic year.

On 12 December 2017, the Ministry of Temporarily Occupied Territories (MTOT) hosted the first International Forum "Current Experience in Hybrid Conflict. Ukrainian Example" to exchange views on conflicts in the modern world and to study the root causes of the war in Donbas. More than 30 speakers - experts in security, economics, politics and culture, as well as over 100 invited guests, including representatives of diplomatic missions in Ukraine, took part in the event.

On 25 October 2017, the MTOT received the delegation from the European Union's Working Party on Humanitarian Aid and Food Aid (COHAFA) - the EU's main forum for discussing humanitarian aid policy, as well as its effectiveness and coordination. The three-day visit was helpful to enhance the EU's insight into how effectively Ukraine uses the assistance provided by the EU countries, as well as to raise awareness on the challenges ahead.

On 7 December 2017, the MTOT hosted a round table entitled "Croatian Mine Action Experience and the Opportunity for its Adaptation/Implementation in Ukraine" for Ukraine's ministries and civil society, during which the representatives of the Croatian Mine Action Center (CROMAC) shared their experience in training processes, standardization and certification in the field of mine action.  

1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

The issue of prohibition of the use of schools and places of worship in support of military efforts will be taken up in the framework of the Inter-ministerial Commission on Application and Implementation of International Humanitarian Law in Ukraine, which was established in 2017.

1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

IHL and IHRL compliance and accountability

On 26 April 2017, the Government of Ukraine established an Intergovernmental Commission on the Application and Implementation of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Ukraine. The Commission is an advisory body under the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, responsible for international legal commitments of Ukraine in the field of international humanitarian law. It is headed by the Minister for Temporary Occupied Territories. On 4 January 2018, its composition was approved.

Gender-based violence prevention and response

The National Plan of Action regarding the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1325 for the period up to 2020 includes measures to ensure inclusive participation of civil society in responding to the cases of gender-based violence, involving boys and men (paragraph 7.3).

To ensure civil society`s involvement into provision of social services and to assist local authorities in conducting a social order for social services, the Government of Ukraine fine-tuned normative frameworks to guarantee a level playing field for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in mobilizing budget funds for providing social services. In 2016, the purchase of social services in the Lviv, Rivne, Khmelnytsky and Mykolaiv regions was made for a total amount of more than UAH 800,000 (in 2015, it amounted to about UAH 200,000; data for 2017 is not yet available).

1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

Refugees

Implementation of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol is one of the priorities of the State Migration Service (SMS) of Ukraine. SMS of Ukraine actively cooperates with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to ensure the rights of refugees and persons in need of additional protection.

Ukraine adheres to international obligations on the human rights of persons who were forced to leave the country of their citizenship or the country of their permanent residence. This includes the fundamental principles enshrined in the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol, namely:

- prohibition of discrimination and criminal penalty, prohibition of expulsion or return of refugees to the country from which they came from ("non refoulement");

- Ukraine promotes preservation of unity of the families of refugees;

- refugees are entitled to receive financial assistance, pensions and other types of social assistance in accordance with the procedure established by Ukraine’s legislation, and to use appropriate accommodation.

IDPs (due to conflict, violence, and disaster)

On 15 November 2017, the Government of Ukraine approved the Strategy on internally displaced people's (IDPs) Integration and Implementation of Long-Term Solutions until 2020, which aims to promote their social and economic integration. On 17 January 2018, the Government increased the amount of monthly targeted assistance to IDPs.  

Starting from 1 January 2017, IDPs have the right to free secondary legal aid, which includes the following types of legal services: protection; representation of the interests of persons entitled to free secondary legal aid in courts, other state bodies.

The Ministry for Temporary Occupied Territories established a Working group to improve legislative frameworks on IDPs, dealing with the legal status of IDPs, their registration, confirmation of legal acts, protection, housing, and long-term solutions.

On 11 January 2017, the Government of Ukraine adopted an Action plan towards non-government controlled parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which provides an equal access of citizens to quality education regardless of place of residence, property status and financial possibilities.

1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

The Ministry of Temporarily Occupied Territories and internally displaced people ( IDPs) (MTOT), together with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and local authorities, assists IDP’s and citizens living in temporarily non-government controlled areas to get access to pre-school, primary, basic and complete secondary education, vocational education, as well as higher education.

On 11 January 2017, the Government of Ukraine adopted an Action plan towards temporarily non-government controlled parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which provides equal access of citizens to quality education regardless of place of residence, property status and financial possibilities.

Also, representatives of the MTOT in Donetsk and Luhansk regions promoted the education programs for IDPs and residents of the temporarily non-government controlled territory by circulating information leaflets at the premises of state authorities (divisions of social protection of population, Divisions of the Pension Fund of Ukraine, city committees), divisions of the "State Savings Bank of Ukraine", on checkpoints along the contact line.

1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

People-centered approaches (feedback mechanisms, community engagement, etc)

On 4-6 July 2017, the Ministry of Social Policy, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine, hosted the All-Ukrainian Seminar on Ukraine's Concluding Remarks by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

The event was attended by deputy heads and heads of structural units of regional state administrations which are responsible for the implementation of state gender policy and socio-economic development programs in regions; lawyers of free legal aid centers; representatives of regional non-governmental organizations working in the field of providing equal rights and opportunities for men and women and youth organizations; representatives of international organizations; experts on gender equality and non-discrimination. The participants discussed practical steps for organizing the implementation of the final recommendations of CEDAW during the strategic planning session and the training session according to the "world cafe" methodology, under the moderation of the leaders of public organizations.