Minregion continues to build cooperation with key international partners

Vitalii Bezghin, Minister for Communities, Territories and Internally Displaced Persons, met with Anne-Claire Dufay, UNICEF Representative in Ukraine.

UNICEF is already working extensively with communities, helping to strengthen local government capacity and ensure accessible, quality services for children and families. We are aligning this work as closely as possible with the state’s regional policy.

The first area is the new 2028–2034 strategic planning cycle based on the principles of EU Cohesion Policy. It is centred on people’s needs, including the needs of families with children. Priorities include support for frontline communities, evacuation from dangerous areas, integration of IDPs, access to services, accessibility, and community projects for resilient heat and water supply.

A separate focus is youth. Creating conditions that encourage young people to stay in their communities is currently underrepresented in local strategies. Yet this directly affects the future of communities and their human capital. UNICEF’s cross-sectoral expertise on children and young people is therefore especially important to us. Likewise, the needs of IDPs and families with children must be reflected in development strategies, local budgets and investment plans.

Ultimately, all these areas are about creating dignified conditions for children and young people to live and develop. International partnerships should help achieve precisely that. We see many concrete opportunities for cooperation with UNICEF.