September 19, 2014, Kyiv – On September 16th Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine did not approve an important Bill 4490 А1 «On rights and freedoms of internally displaced persons». The Parliamentary Head Mr Turchynov put it to the vote in last minutes of the Verkhovna Rada working day, so the deputies were not reading it. It should be noted, this draft law is one of the few draft laws elaborated together with civic activists and organizations, representatives of internally displaced persons, experts of the Presidential Administration, peoples’ deputies etc. It has already been considered and approved by the leading committee. It was the statement an advocacy expert, an implementing partner of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Alyona Shkrum made during her media briefing in Ukraine Crisis Media Center. «We are to realize that this law is utterly important and in itself directed at integration and peace within the country. Protraction of IDPs’s problem regulation will lead to humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, the issue involves at least 312 thousand officially registered refugees. Nevertheless, according to our estimation, in reality this number is twice as big and it may reach 600 thousand people by this winter», – said Alyona.
Ms Shkrum presented an appeal to Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, signed by a number of civic organizations, demanding to consider the Bill instantly during Verkhovna Rada session on October 14, 2014, and adopt it in the first reading and as a whole. «The state has no right to abandon over half a million of its citizens, who are at present unable to fond lodging or work or even receive humanitarian aid», – said Alyona Shkrum.
The major provision of the Draft law is creating a unified coordination center, imposing responsibility upon one state body, i.e. the Ministry of Social Policy, simplifying the registration and humanitarian aid provision procedure, simplifying customs clearance procedure and abolishing 17% tax on humanitarian aid from international organizations and foundations.
