Official opening of the Unity Hub for Ukrainians in Prague: Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity

On 11 September, Prague hosted the official opening of the Unity Hub for Ukrainians. The Unity Hub Prague will operate on the basis of the Ukrainian Consultation and Community Center, which marks its first anniversary. This is already the third Unity Hub for Ukrainians in Europe, following the earlier openings in Berlin and Stockholm.

The joint declaration on establishing the Unity Hub in the Czech Republic was signed on 5 May 2025 in Prague during the visit of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the Czech Republic.

The opening ceremony was attended by Ilona Havronska, Deputy Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine; Ylva Johansson, Special Envoy for Ukrainians in the EU; Vasyl Zvarych, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Czech Republic; representatives of the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic, the Agency of National Unity, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), and the Ukrainian community in the Czech Republic.

In her welcoming remarks, Ilona Havronska emphasized that the Czech Republic ranks among the top three EU countries hosting the largest number of Ukrainians under temporary protection. At the same time, the Czech Republic holds first place in the EU in terms of the number of people under temporary protection relative to its population. According to the latest Eurostat data, approximately 4.4 million Ukrainians are under temporary protection in EU countries, with nearly 400,000 residing in the Czech Republic.

“Today, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians live in the Czech Republic. Many of them work, study, and raise children here. For Ukraine, it is important that regardless of where a person lives today or what plans they have for the future, they can maintain a connection with Ukraine. The Unity Hub Prague should become another such point of connection – a place to receive necessary information, join the Ukrainian community, learn about opportunities in Ukraine, and simply feel closer to home,” noted Ilona Havronska.

For her part, Ylva Johansson underlined that the Unity Hubs and the entire Network of Unity for Ukrainians help build a “human bridge” between Ukraine, the European Union, and Ukrainians abroad.

“Of course, Ukrainians need protection. But at the same time, they have enormous energy, countless ideas, creativity, and the potential to shape and create the future. This is the direction we must pursue further – creating more opportunities for Ukrainians to influence their own and our shared future, as well as the future of Ukraine and its recovery. The Unity Hub in Prague, like the entire Network of Unity, plays a very important role in this,” stressed Ylva Johansson.