Kyiv, 7 December 2022 – The Diia.Business virtual centre, launched in the format of an innovative hotline, provided 14,200 consultations to Ukrainians who were forced to relocate within the country or abroad during the first stage of the project.

Most often, Ukrainians made requests in relation to:

• obtaining temporary protection or the legal grounds for staying in the territory of another state;
• the provision of housing and employment assistance;
• acquiring information on doing business in seven EU countries (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia) and how to subsequently relocate to Ukraine.

“The main goal of creating the Diia.Business virtual centre is to help every Ukrainian who has been forced to leave their homes,” said Valeriia Ionan, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation for European Integration.

“The centre’s employees have already provided more than 14,000 consultations, because we strive to help each of our citizens return to Ukraine as soon as possible. And the effectiveness of this project is confirmed by the 95 percent positive reviews from those who used the help of the virtual centre.”

Maria Lindgren-Saltanova, Charge d'affaires of the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine, emphasized that providing support for Ukrainian citizens in times of war is the ultimate goal of all initiatives in which Sweden is consistently cooperating with the government of Ukraine. “Millions of Ukrainians, including thousands of children, were forced to leave Ukraine, seeking refuge in safe countries,” she said.

“The hotline was aimed at supporting and providing the necessary informational support to these people. After all, it is important for citizens to know that the country is taking care of them, no matter where they are.”

Jaco Cilliers, acting UNDP Ukraine Resident Representative, said that the government of Ukraine had launched a number of programmes to protect the population in times of war. “The launch of the hotline, which provides much needed advice on issues of legalizing one’s stay abroad and registering a business, was one of the steps taken to support Ukrainians affected by the war,” Cilliers said.

“UNDP appreciates its partnership with the government in implementing such important initiatives, and is determined to continue cooperation in the realisation of such programmes so that citizens obtain the support they need, and so that no one is left behind.”

The second stage of consultations of the Diia.Business virtual centre will start soon. At this stage, the centre will provide professional support for employment opportunities, business operations (from establishing a business to relocation) and legal issues for internally displaced persons. These consultations will be focused on the regions of temporary residence of the affected Ukrainian population, taking into account the fact that almost five million Ukrainians have returned from abroad.

The project was initiated by the teams of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the Office for the Development of Entrepreneurship and Export, and the national Diia.Business project, and is implemented by the NGO “Consulting Centre for the Support of Small and Medium Businesses,” with the assistance of the DIA Support project, implemented by the United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine, with the financial support of Sweden.

Background

UNDP’s Digital, Inclusive, Accessible: Support to Digitalisation of Public Services in Ukraine Project (DIA Support Project) is being implemented by UNDP in Ukraine with funding from Sweden. The project was launched in 2021 and aims to bridge the digital divide between generations and various social groups. Its main goal is to increase the accessibility of new digital solutions, so that everyone in Ukraine can use electronic services, and no one is left behind.

Media inquiries

Yuliia Samus, Communications Team Leader, UNDP in Ukraine, yuliia.samus@undp.org