The Council of Veterans of the War of Independence has started operating in Ukraine: what body was created under the Ministry of Veterans Affairs?

The inaugural meeting of the Council of Veterans of the War of Independence of Ukraine, a new consultative and advisory body under the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, was held in Ukraine. It was created to ensure a permanent dialogue between the state and the veteran community, as well as to involve veterans in the formation of state policy.

The Council includes representatives of all regions of Ukraine, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Kyiv and the city of Sevastopol. The body is designed to represent the interests of veterans at the state level, participate in the development of decisions and provide proposals for improving veterans’ policy.

One of the key events of the inaugural meeting was a meeting of the Council members with representatives of the state leadership. The participants spoke with the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov, Deputy Head of the Office of the President Iryna Vereshchuk, Minister for Veterans Affairs Vitaly Kim, Deputy Minister, veteran Ruslan Prykhodko, as well as former Minister for Veterans Affairs Natalia Kalmykova.

During the open dialogue, the parties discussed the first steps of the Council’s work, determined the main areas of activity and the format of interaction between the advisory body and the Ministry for Veterans’ Affairs.

Among the main tasks of the Council are the preparation of proposals for the formation of state policy in the field of supporting veterans, protecting their rights and social guarantees, taking into account the needs of the families of the fallen Defenders of Ukraine, as well as developing recommendations based on the position of the veteran community.

In addition to the constituent assembly, the members of the Council underwent a two-day training program. It was dedicated to the peculiarities of the work of state authorities and local self-government bodies, mechanisms for forming state and regional policy, interagency interaction in the field of supporting veterans, as well as effective communication with the public and the media.

The Ministry for Veterans’ Affairs emphasizes that the creation of the Council of Veterans of the War for Independence of Ukraine is an important step towards the systematic involvement of veterans in making state decisions. It is expected that the new advisory body will become a platform where the direct combat experience of veterans will help shape effective state policy and improve the support system for those who defended Ukraine.