The Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine, Denys Ulyutin, held a meeting with the World Bank’s Regional Director for Human Development in Europe and Central Asia, Michal Rutkovsky. During the conversation, the parties agreed on further support for Ukraine in strengthening the social protection system.
“We highly appreciate the World Bank’s support in the practical implementation of reforms in the social sphere. We have a common vision – monetary support should be combined with high-quality social services. Only in this way will we ensure the social and economic integration of people affected by the war, ”said Denis Ulyutin.
Within the framework of the SPIRIT program, the World Bank provides technical assistance to Ukraine to develop key social reforms, in particular, pension reform, improving the system of support for people with disabilities, developing social services and introducing basic social assistance.
During the meeting, Michal Rutkowski paid special attention to the component of the SPIRIT program, which concerns support for people with disabilities. In turn, Denis Ulyutin noted that the updated social support system will be built on the principles of the International Classification of Functioning (ICF). According to him, this involves creating a model that covers three key areas – health care, social protection and employment.
The World Bank confirmed its readiness to continue providing expert support in forming an appropriate institutional structure, developing training programs and creating a data collection system. Following the meeting, the parties agreed to strengthen strategic coordination of joint actions and identify key areas on which the World Bank will focus further support for Ukraine’s social policy.
The SPIRIT program is implemented with the support of the UK government within the framework of the “Social Protection for Inclusion, Resilience, Innovation and Transformation (SPIRIT)” initiative in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, the Social Protection Fund for Persons with Disabilities and UNICEF Ukraine, under the administration of ISAR Unity.
