On the initiative of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Social Policy and Protection of Veterans’ and people’s Deputies Iryna Konstankevych and Taras Tarasenko, the Forum “Veterans – the way Home” was held in Lutsk, attended by more than 150 participants. The organization of the event was supported by the USAID RADA: Next generation Program.
In his welcoming speech, Mark Elingstad, Director of the Office of Democracy and Governance of the USAID Mission in Ukraine, said: “Things like psychological support, physical health recovery, challenges in obtaining social benefits, lack of inclusive space and arrangement of places for people with disabilities are a huge task that cannot be delayed. Ensuring an effective and comfortable reintegration of veterans is not just a task or work for the government or parliament, it is a noble cause for the whole country. And we, USAID, will try to help you with this by responding to the needs of the Verkhovna Rada, local authorities, doctors, the public and others.”
The program “RADA: Next generation” helps the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and its members to attract a wide range of stakeholders to develop joint solutions for socially significant problems, in particular in conditions of martial law.
“The USAID RADA: Next generation Program helps organize events such as today’s events for three reasons. The first reason is the bondless respect for the Ukrainian warrior, who is now doing the most important thing in the world. We must do everything so that our heroes can return and build a peaceful happy life with their families. The second reason is that what we do today is a certain model of interaction. The strong side of our program is that we bring together different people from different sectors and different interests, because we believe that strong and high-quality government decisions are made when they are properly developed and heard by all stakeholders. Today is just such a day: Here we have central and local authorities, politicians and the public, there are officials and activists. This is a good brainstorming. I am so proud to be hosting this forum today. However, what is being said here today is not only for Kovel, Shatsk or Kruhinichi, it is for the whole Ukraine and, perhaps, for the whole world. The third reason is to develop a high-quality veteran policy. This is a star job. Even our NATO allies say that no country in the world has faced a task that Ukraine is currently solving. We don’t have a solution, but we’ll find it. Just as there is no ready recipe for our victory in the world, but we write this recipe daily at the front and in the rear,” Andriy Shevchenko, the program’s senior advisor, told the participants of the forum in his welcoming speech.
The forum was attended by Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk, acting Minister for Veterans Affairs Oleksandr Porhun, Minister for Social Policy Oksana Zholnovych, Commissioner of the President for Rehabilitation of combatants Vadym Sviridenko, people's Deputies of Ukraine and others.
The purpose of the forum is to improve the state policy of support for veterans and veterans. The participants discussed how to ensure well-being on the way of their return home and how to create an inclusive and barrier-free community.
You can watch the speeches of the participants in the video on the FB page of our Program.
