• Українською
  • Ministry of Economy and UNHCR enhance cooperation for economic integration and support of displaced and returnees
    Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, posted 17 January 2025 10:49

    The Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a strategic partnership aimed at strengthening the economic integration of internally displaced people, returnees, refugees and stateless persons in Ukraine.

    The cooperation aims to combine the efforts and capacities of both sides to engage internally displaced people in the national labour market and focuses on promoting access to information on economic programmes and opportunities, in particular related to employment and livelihoods.

    An important element is the joint development of a dedicated Employment Page dedicated to economic integration and opportunities for people displaced as a result of the war on UNHCR's information platform Ukraine is Home. This is an innovative digital platform designed to provide timely and impartial information to help Ukrainians who have been internally displaced or refugees abroad due to the war make informed decisions about returning home or staying in host communities or countries.

    "One of the main tasks of the state is to create conditions for Ukrainians to return home. The Government is working on employment, business support and access to modern education and retraining. The return of citizens after the war will accelerate the country's and economy's recovery. We are grateful to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for providing a platform where Ukrainians abroad can find information on grants, training and retraining," said Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine.

    According to her, Ukraine is facing a situation where employers lack qualified specialists and the unemployed do not have the skills they need. To overcome structural unemployment, the Ministry of Economy, together with international partners and donors, is implementing a number of programmes to retrain and upgrade the skills of Ukrainians.

    The Ministry of Economy will continue to support the development of the Employment Page by providing information on Government grant programmes for Ukrainians wishing to return home and opportunities for those wishing to acquire new specialities or improve their professional skills.

    The cooperation will also facilitate the collection and analysis of data that will help inform and shape policies and programmes to strengthen the economic resilience of communities - with a particular focus on improving access to employment and economic inclusion for displaced persons and other war-affected people.

    "This Memorandum of Understanding is an important milestone in our efforts to support the economic integration of those who have been displaced by the war and have consequently lost their livelihoods. We know from UNHCR's periodic refugee intentions surveys that access to work is a prerequisite for sustainable return. By joining forces with the Ministry of Economy, we are helping to create employment opportunities that will not only help people rebuild their lives and become self-sufficient again, but also contribute to Ukraine's economic recovery and sustainable recovery," said Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR's Representative in Ukraine.

    The signing of the Memorandum took place during the visit of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi to Kyiv, where he met with representatives of the Government of Ukraine. This week, Filippo Grandi has paid the sixth visit to Ukraine since February 2022 to reaffirm UNHCR's unwavering solidarity with the people of Ukraine and to call for continued international support for humanitarian assistance and recovery in Ukraine, as well as for the continued protection and assistance of millions of Ukrainian refugees abroad.

    In addition to Kyiv, Filippo Grandi also visited Odesa, Kharkiv and Sumy to meet with IDPs and war-affected people and witness projects and programmes to support those in need.

    Background information 

    Following russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, UNHCR supported 4.3 million people in Ukraine in 2022 through various humanitarian and recovery programmes; 2.63 million people in 2023; and provided over 1.5 million multisectoral services to war-affected people across the country in 2024.