The Ministry of Social Policy, the State Enterprise “Information and Computer Centre of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine” and the World Food Programme have signed an agreement to continue cooperation in the area of digitalisation. It provides for the further modernisation of the Unified Information System of the Social Sphere (UISSS).

The WFP has been supporting the digitalisation of the social sector since 2022 – projects and tools developed with this support are now enabling Ukrainians to receive social benefits and services faster and more conveniently. These include the introduction of 10 types of benefits in the UISSS and the Electronic Case Management functionality, which allows online applications for social services to be submitted on soc.gov.ua, the Social Portal of the Ministry of Social Policy. The project was shortlisted for the European Social Services Awards 2024 by the European Social Network (ESN) in the Digital Transformation category.

“Thanks to the support of our partners, we are making social assistance more convenient and modern. Automatic data-driven extension of payments, simplified notification of changes of residence, new opportunities for receiving assistance – all these are real changes in the Unified Information System of the Social Sphere that make life easier for Ukrainians and make the administration of social benefits more efficient. We are implementing modern digital solutions so that everyone can feel the benefits of new digital tools,” said Kostiantyn Koshelenko, Deputy Minister of Social Policy for Digital Development, Digital Transformation and Digitalisation.

In particular, the parties will cooperate within the framework of the UISSS in the following areas:

• payments to IDPs – improving the automation of the extension of payments for 6 months without submitting an application, based on data from the State Tax Service and the Pension Fund, as well as simplifying the procedure for notifying a change of residence and automatic recalculation of payments;
• data exchange with the Pension Fund – automating the transfer of income data, which will avoid errors in the calculation of payments and improve interaction between government agencies;
• social payments – improving the automation of payment extensions, as well as creating functionality for granting maternity benefits;
• electronic case management – testing of the functionality to improve the provision of targeted assistance, in particular, through the assessment of the needs of a person or family for social services;
• verification of applications – transferring verification of applications to the level of social protection bodies, which will speed up their processing and reduce the burden on the administrative service centres;
• support for children deprived of parental care – automation of the “Child is not alone” assistance process, including registration of applications, verification of eligibility and calculation of amounts.

Marianne Ward, WFP Deputy Country Director in Ukraine, mentioned that their partnership with the Ministry of Social Policy aids in implementing modern solutions that enhance the transparency and efficiency of social assistance delivery. This partnership enables the WFP to respond swiftly to the needs of the most vulnerable with accurate and reliable data. She emphasised the appreciation for this cooperation and affirmed the ongoing support for developing digital tools to improve access to social and humanitarian assistance.

“The signing of this agreement with the UN World Food Programme is an important step in the development of Ukraine’s social sector. We are grateful for the trust and support that allow us to improve digital tools for social protection. As administrators of the Unified System, we are ready to support users, organise training seminars and provide necessary consultations to ensure efficient work with new functionalities. Our goal is to create convenient and transparent services that will make social assistance more accessible and easier for citizens,” said Yuriy Konovalov, Director of the State Enterprise “Information and Computer Centre of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine”.

Thus, with the support of the WFP, it is planned to conduct practical trainings for social sector specialists from all regions of Ukraine on how to work in the UISSS subsystems. Earlier, such training was held on the specifics of implementing 10 types of benefits based on the UISSS.