Social recovery for the first time on the agenda of the Ukraine Donor Platform Steering Committee

Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine Denys Uliutin took part in the 16th meeting of the Steering Committee of the Ukraine Donor Platform, which took place on 25 March in Kyiv.

The event was attended by Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko, Director-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations at the European Commission Gert Jan Koopman, representatives of the Government of Ukraine, as well as more than 100 representatives from Platform member countries, the European Commission and international financial organisations.

This year, participants held a dedicated discussion on the social recovery of Ukraine for the first time. The discussion focused on how international partners can help overcome challenges in the labour market, strengthen social services and support communities most affected by the war.

In his speech, the Minister emphasised that the social dimension must be fully integrated into Ukraine’s recovery plan from the very beginning. After all, recovery is not only about infrastructure, but also about creating conditions for people to live, work and raise families in Ukraine.

“Social recovery should be viewed not as a parallel track, but as a key component of Ukraine’s overall recovery strategy. We are currently moving towards an approach where social policy is not seen as an expense, but as an investment in human capital. This means shifting from status-based support to needs-based support, from individual payments to comprehensive support packages focused on services, as well as investing in early detection and prevention of vulnerability,” noted Denys Uliutin.

The Minister also stressed the need for systemic decisions to ensure the effectiveness of social policy. In particular, this involves clearly defining state guarantees and their financial viability, moving towards more targeted support, and avoiding fragmentation of the social protection system between vulnerable groups.

The event was organised with the support of the Platform Secretariat. The Recovery and Reform Delivery Office of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine performs the functions of the Kyiv Office of the Secretariat of the Ukraine Donor Platform.

Background

The Ukraine Donor Platform was established to coordinate international assistance and meet Ukraine’s immediate needs and long-term recovery. It brings together 25 permanent and temporary members and observers, and 7 participants, including international financial organisations and the OECD.

The Steering Committee of the Platform consists of senior officials from Ukraine, G7 countries and the European Union. International financial institutions and organisations also participate in the Steering Committee meetings as active participants.