Ukraine to open Unity Centres for Ukrainians abroad

Unity centres for Ukrainians abroad: where the first ones will open

Ukraine, together with European Union and Ukrainian civil society organisations to create a Networks of unity - a new initiative designed to unite Ukrainians living abroad.

The first Centres of unity plans to open in Spain and Germany, where the largest Ukrainian diasporas live.

The aim of the initiative

Deputy Minister of Social Policy Ilona Gavronska noted that the main idea of the project is create a single platform for interaction between Ukrainian communities and organisations abroad.

«Our goal is not only to create new centres for Ukrainians, but also to unite existing initiatives. In essence, we are forming a “network of networks” to make visible and audible the activities that Ukrainian communities, NGOs and international organisations are implementing today,» Gavronska said.

How the centres will work

The new Unity Centres will be platforms for coordinating volunteer, cultural and educational programmes, as well as support for Ukrainian families, IDPs and students.

We plan to open a new help hotlines, The programme provides legal advice, psychological support and Ukrainian language courses for children studying abroad.

Future plans

After the pilot launch in Germany and Spain, the network is planned to expand to Poland, Czech Republic, Italy and France, The country with the largest population of Ukrainians in the EU.

The Ministry of Social Policy is also negotiating with international donors to finance long-term programmes to support and integrate Ukrainians abroad.