Oksana Zholnovych, Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine, together with Anna Bjerde, Managing Director of Operations at the World Bank, and Antonella Bassani, of the Europe and Central Asia Region at the World Bank, held a meeting on reforming the social support system in Ukraine. The parties discussed key areas of cooperation, including the development of social services and pension reform in Ukraine.

Oksana Zholnovych stressed that cooperation with the World Bank was of strategic importance for the implementation of social reforms that would increase the level of support for the most vulnerable groups of the population.

"I am grateful to the World Bank team for their support in helping Ukraine move towards building a new modern and comprehensive social support system focused on the real needs of citizens. We are actively working to create an effective model that combines financial assistance with access to quality social services. Our main goal is to create a support system that will provide targeted assistance to those who need it most, encourage citizens to actively participate in the labour market and help reduce labour shortages," said Oksana Zholnovych.

The World Bank plays a strategic role in supporting social protection reforms in Ukraine by providing financial, technical and policy support. Thanks to the partnership, a number of important initiatives are being implemented to strengthen the resilience of the social system and implement structural changes.

Separately, the Minister stressed that the World Bank was providing technical support in the drafting of the pension reform, and the first stage of the reform has been developed. In addition, the World Bank has supported the introduction of basic social assistance.

For her part, Anna Bjerde noted that the World Bank highly appreciated Ukraine's achievements in reforming the social sphere even in the face of a full-scale war. Anna Bjerde assured that the WB stood ready to continue supporting Ukraine on its way to creating a modern social system.

The cooperation between Ukraine and the World Bank demonstrates a high level of partnership aimed at creating a sustainable and effective social protection system even in the face of current challenges.

Background information

The event was also attended by Minister of Health of Ukraine Viktor Liashko, Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Oksen Lisovyi, World Bank Regional Country Director for Eastern Europe Bob Saum, Programme Manager Nitin Umapathi, Senior Operations Officer Oyebimpe Adepoju, and Senior Health Economist Jakub Kakietek.