Statement by the delegation of Ukraine at the 57th Session of Commission on Social Development
The Delegation of Ukraine aligns itself with the statement delivered by the Delegation of the European Union and would like to make a statement in its national capacity.
In the social sphere, the following issues are identified as the main priorities for Ukraine:
- promotion of productive employment, labour market reform;
- creation of a fair pension insurance system;
- ensuring effective state social support of the population;
-development of social services in the territorial communities;
- protection of children's rights.
1. Promotion of productive employment, labour market reform - a number of measures have been taken to attract unemployment citizens to work and legalize unofficial employment.
First.
In order to enhance labour market policy, the State Employment Service (in the employment centres) introduces new forms and methods of activities as:
- presenting jobseekers through video CVs;
- establishing the CVs’ database;
- using distance communication with employers through an online resource.
Second.
The Procedure for Registration Unemployed and Keeping Records of Persons Seeking Employment were approved by Government last year summer. According to this Procedure the institute of career advisor, profiling of the unemployed and jobseekers, individual service plan and employment plan were introduced started from January this year.
Third.
Strengthen the protection of labour rights andlegalization of employment.
With this purpose the Concept of Labor Protection Management System Reforming, as well as the Action Plan for its implementation, were developed and approved. (December 2018).
2. Creation of a fair pension insurance system. Social protection system is based on three whales: pension, benefits, services.
Pension provision in Ukraine is the main part of social protection and involves unemployable elderly persons, persons with disability, persons who have lost their wage earner.
The main source of Pension Fund revenue is from the common contribution to the compulsory state social insurance in the amount of 17.8 %.
In the framework of the pension reform the new law was submitted in 2017. this Law provides a set of measures for the improvement of the current solidarity system. According to this Law:
- the subsistence level for the disabled persons for the pension payments, supplements and allowances and other pension provisions has defined;
- the flexible „passage” for the age 60/63/65 has introduced with the step-by-step increasement on the 10 years of the minimal work experience. This procedure gives the right to get the old-age pension;
Due to the pension reform the average pension has increased on 40 % in comparison with 2017.
Common expenditures for the pension provision to the gross domestic product of Ukraine is 10.5 % in 2018. This amount corresponds to the average level of the European countries.
3. State benefits and payments support.
State benefits for families is divided into universal (guaranteed) social payments and targeted benefits to low-income families, which are provided taking into account the total income of the family, the property status and the corresponding status.
The universal (guaranteed) social benefits include support:
- during pregnancy and childbirth;
- persons with disabilities from childhood and children with disabilities.
The targeted social benefits include support for:
- low-income families;
- for single mothers with children;
- for children who are brought up in foster families or in family-type homes;
2.1 million families receive state social benefits in Ukraine, which is 38% of all Ukrainian families with children under the age of 18. Annually it’s 13.8 % from the State Budget expenditures.
One of the most common type of state support is the housing subsidies, that cover 30 % households.
In Ukraine there is state assistance to citizens for housing and communal services.
This assistance is provided in the form of housing subsidies, which are based on the total income of the household.
To increase efficiency of this assistance, the monetization for granting housing subsidies in cash at the level of the final consumer was introduced and it started from January 2019.
It will operate in parallel:
- transfer of funds at the central level to the bank account (Oshchadbank) with a special regime of be used with their subsequent targeting for payment of housing and communal services;
- provision of housing subsidies in cash directly to the recipient.
4. Social services in the territorial communities.
Main goals are to improve access to services (administrative and social) in territorial communities.
With this purpose the centres for social services provision in the format of „Transparent Office” we introduced and opened around the country and this process is still continuing.
This enables to receive applications and documents for the provision of social support under properly organized conditions.
So this centres facilitates access of socially vulnerable citizens to administrative services, including social services and various types of state social assistance. Which is very important especially for rural areas.
Last year, Ministry of Social policy announced the transformation social service system into integrated social services.
An integrated model for providing social services in the community, at the place of residence of a person, without removing it from the habitual environment and introducing innovative services, in particular for people with disabilities, children, elderly people, victims of trafficking and domestic violence, was established.
In 2018, implementation of the new program of stimulation of territorial communities for the creation of transportation services for people with disabilities was introduced and the mechanism for the purchase of specially equipped vehicles for the transportation of persons with disabilities and children.
5. Protection of the children rights.
Ukraine work a lot under the child right protection. During the previous years several important decision was submitted. Among them we need to mentioned:
- National Strategy of the Institutional Care reform and till 2026 and the Action Plan for the Implementation.
- State Social Program „National Action Plan for the Implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child for the period up to 2021.
From the last year government start to work more on responsible parenting. It’s mean the addition support for families with newborns.
Currently Government approved the "baby boxes" as the one-time assistance for newborn babies, being delivered starting from September 1, 2018, to help Ukrainian families provide newborns with the essential and high-quality items (nappies, clothes etc).
Starting from January 1, 2019, the reimbursement of child care services for children up to three years of age was introduced through the programme "Municipal Nanny" in the amount of the subsistence minimum for children under six years.
In addition, Ukraine has joined the "Children's and Youth-Friendly Community" initiative, a global movement that brings together local authorities, civil society and business to reach consensus in key areas for the well-being of all children and young people.