6. The Assembly will follow closely the developments in Ukraine with a view to assisting specific groups ofpeople, step by step. The current resolution sets the scene for future targeted actions specific to each group:the internally displaced persons, the persons who fled the war of aggression and are now under temporaryprotection in Europe, and those who were forcibly displaced or deported to the Russian Federation andBelarus, including the prisoners of war.

7. Regarding the internally displaced persons in Ukraine, the Assembly notes that not everyone could orwas willing to leave the country seeking safety. Many stayed in Ukraine to defend their country and supporttheir loved ones at the front, sometimes by paying the highest price.

8. The Assembly should act resolutely to contribute to the protection of IDPs in Ukraine. It calls for therapid provision of sufficient humanitarian support to ensure that the IDPs in Ukraine are safe and protected.The Assembly welcomes the European Union’s contribution to humanitarian support to Ukraine. It notes thaton 20 March 2024, the European Commission has paid the first €4,5 billion of support under the EuropeanUnion’s new Ukraine Facility. This payment will ensure that Ukraine can continue paying salaries, pensions,and providing basic public services, so that the country can focus its effort on winning the war.

9. The Assembly deplores the challenges faced by the internally displaced children, who are furthertraumatised by the constant bombing by the Russian Federation. Specific protection measures must be put inplace for them, as mentioned in its Resolution 2529 (2024) and Recommendation 2265 (2024) “Situation ofthe children of Ukraine” and its Resolution 2448 (2022) “Humanitarian consequences and internal andexternal displacement in connection with the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine”.

10. The Assembly calls upon member States’ parliaments to enhance their political support to meet theobjectives of the humanitarian response plan for Ukraine, with a specific emphasis on the needs of internallydisplaced children and their families. It has been estimated that a total sum of about US$5 billion is needed tosupport war-affected communities in Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees and their host communities in the regionthroughout 2024.

11. The implementation of Ukraine’s state policy on internal displacement for the period until 2025 shouldbe given the necessary funding and operational support. Adequately protected shelters must be available andmade known to the IDPs, who are not always familiar with their new residence areas inside Ukraine. Thepriorities should include free legal aid for accessing identity documents and civil status documents to enabledisplaced persons to gain access to their rights, to support, and to services. In addition, support to volunteersand to humanitarian organisations, including civil society organisations and other local groups working inUkraine, must be enhanced so that they can continue assisting IDPs.

12. The Assembly welcomes the Declaration adopted by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities ofthe Council of Europe on 26 March 2024, in which it “calls on European cities and regions to continuemobilising and providing large-scale financial, security and humanitarian assistance to their Ukrainiancounterparts, and invites them to explore possibilities to establish direct, multi-faceted partnerships withUkrainian cities and regions, ideally with a long-term vision, and to work to remove any bureaucratic obstaclesto this assistance”. Member States should continue providing support for IDPs in Ukraine through co-operation programmes set up by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and local democracyinitiatives, such as the Intercultural cities programme of the Council of Europe.

13. Long-term support programmes for IDPs who are living in Ukraine should include financial assistance toenable access to housing, including social housing, as well as loans for rebuilding private housing, and othersupport for durable housing solutions, including through the sustainable reintegration into the rental market.IDPs and returnees should be supported in having their housing, land and property rights restored. Moreover,those IDPs wishing to start businesses in their new location need financial support, including microfinancing orlow interest rates credit lines. Long-term support should also encompass mental health and psychosocialsupport services given the trauma the Ukrainian people have suffered. Long-term support programmes shouldgive specific attention to the most vulnerable among the displaced and war-affected people, notably olderpersons or persons with disabilities. The Assembly welcomes Ukraine’s accession, in July 2023, to theCouncil of Europe Development Bank (CEB), which enables the CEB to provide grant funds for emergencyassistance and the long-term integration of Ukrainian refugees in host communities, as well as specific actionsfor IDPs in Ukraine.

14. The Assembly highlights the importance of intensified efforts to help Ukraine defend itself and maintainand re-build its society, with the aim of increasing its strength and resilience for present and future challenges.Investing in Ukraine’s resilience now amounts to investing into making Europe as a whole stronger, with a

Resolution 2562 (2024)

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