UNDP and Government of Canada support Luhansk Oblast in effort to leave no one behind

Sievierodonetsk, Luhansk Oblast, 21 October 2020 – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine, in partnership with the Government of Canada, has transferred a mobile Administrative Services Centre (ASC) to Sievierodonetsk in Luhansk Oblast. The mobile ASC, a specially equipped truck, will drive to remote areas, rendering public services to the most vulnerable populations and people who are unable to visit stationary centres.

Director of the Canadian Development Programme in Ukraine Ashley Mulroney welcomed the provision of the new ASC to Sievierodonetsk: “This equipped truck will bring services to communities, to people who find it difficult to get to stationary ASCs,” Mulroney said. “In Canada, we sincerely believe that good governance is a prerequisite for sustainable development and peace,” she said. “Building an effective governance system is only possible by involving every citizen, ensuring everyone's access to quality public services.”

The mobile ASC will provide services almost identical to those that are currently available at stationary centres. For example, people will be able to:

• apply for subsidies and receive help from the government;
• register their own business or real estate;
• obtain a child’s birth certificate;
• obtain a certificate showing they are parents of a large family, or a child from a large family;
• apply for and obtain a pension certificate, and;
• receive passport services.

The vehicle has four workplaces for ASC specialists, social services specialists, specialists from the pension fund and specialists on free legal aid. The mobile ASC is equipped with all of the necessary technical infrastructure and communications, and is specially equipped for persons with disabilities.

UNDP Resident Representative Dafina Gercheva stressed that it is extremely important to ensure that all residents, including those living in remote areas in eastern Ukraine, have access to public services – especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and imposed restrictions.

“We’re working with our partners to ensure that all residents of eastern Ukraine have inclusive and high-quality access to public services, without putting their health and the health of their loved ones at undue risk,” she said. “Even during these very uncertain times, helping and providing vital support to the most in need remains our number one priority. We will continue to support them on this difficult journey to peace and prosperity, with no one left behind.”

The head of the military-civil administration of the city of Sievierodonetsk, Luhansk Oblast, Oleksandr Striuk, thanked the international partners for their help and support. “Thanks to cooperation with the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme, the city of Sievierodonetsk has received a modern and comfortable mobile Administrative Service Centre, where rural residents of our community will be able to receive quality services in the most comfortable conditions,” he said.

The procurement and other technical arrangements are being carried out under the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme with the financial support of the Government of Canada.

Background

The United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme (UN RPP) is being implemented by four United Nations agencies: the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Thirteen international partners support the Programme: the European Union (EU), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, and the governments of Canada, Denmark, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

Media enquiries

Maksym Kytsiuk, Communications Associate, the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme, maksym.kytsiuk@undp.org, +380 63 576 1839