Ukrainian public organizations called on President Volodymyr Zelenskyi to prevent the liquidation of the Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine. The corresponding appeal gathered numerous signatures and was published on the ZMINA website on September 25.
Activists expressed concern about possible plans of the Government to liquidate the Ministry of Reintegration and transfer part of its powers to the Ministry of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure (Ministry of Regions). Although there were no official statements on this matter, it became clear from the comments of individual representatives of the authorities that it is about the termination of the unified policy of reintegration and the division of its functions between different state bodies.
The address emphasizes that the Ministry of Reintegration performs a number of critically important functions to overcome the consequences of the war, including coordinating the evacuation of the population from the front-line areas, supporting the families of political prisoners, and ensuring communication with Ukrainians who remained in the occupied territories. The transfer of these powers to other agencies may lead to a loss of systematicity in their implementation and a general weakening of support for affected citizens.
“Not all of the defined powers of the Ministry of Reintegration can and should be implemented by the Ministry of Regions. The support, development and further restoration of the de-occupied territories of Ukraine should take place in the unified logic of the development of Ukraine and the restoration of all territories affected by the war. At the same time, there is a great risk of losing part of the powers regarding people who suffered as a result of armed aggression against Ukraine, in the absence of a ministry in the Government that would be directly responsible for the development of a comprehensive policy.”, – warn NGOs.
Public organizations also proposed a possible option for the restructuring of the ministry, in particular, the transformation of the Ministry of Reintegration into the Ministry of National Unity, which would deal with issues of support and integration of citizens regardless of their place of stay: in the temporarily occupied territories, in the free regions of Ukraine or abroad.
“We call on you, dear Mr. President, to support the preservation in the Government of the ministry that is responsible for the victims of the war, regardless of where they are: in the TOT, free territories of Ukraine or abroad”, – noted the activists.
The preservation of the Ministry of Reintegration, according to activists, is a key element in the process of overcoming the consequences of armed aggression and ensuring the effective reintegration of the affected citizens and territories.
