A ‘Platform of Joint Actions’ Integration Hub has opened in the city of Mukachevo, in Zakarpattia Oblast (province), in Western Ukraine, to facilitate the active inclusion of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in decision-making processes within their host community.  

The ‘Mariupol Youth Union’ NGO, relocated during the war to Zakarpattia Oblast, developed the hub with the assistance of the European Union, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UNHCR, and the UN Refugee Agency. The Integration Hub is hosted in the Centre for Public and National Culture.

According to UNDP, Zakarpattia Oblast hosts some 147,000 registered IDPs, of which 39,000 are in the Mukachevo community, where the number of IDPs per capita is amongst the highest in Ukraine.

The hub will provide professional skills training, workshops for youth, and serve as a gathering point for the Mukachevo and displaced communities, as well as private sector actors and local authorities.

Alejandro Eggenschwiler, Programme Manager at the EU Delegation in Ukraine, said the hub marks another critical step towards building genuinely inclusive communities. “The Russian war of aggression cannot divide the people of Ukraine. The enthusiasm with which local communities welcome newcomers is inspiring,” he said.

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Press release