State Service for Ethnic Affairs and Freedom of Conscience initiates comprehensive study of interethnic relations issues in Ukraine

Within the measures aimed at implementing legislation on national minorities, the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Affairs and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) is initiating a comprehensive study of pertinent interethnic relations issues in Ukraine.

This topic was discussed during a briefing at Media Center Ukraine.

According to Ihor Lossovskyi, Deputy Head for Digital Development, Digital Transformations and Digitalization at DESS, the comprehensive study is to include a nationwide survey, an all-Ukrainian monitoring of public opinion, and regional surveys.

Zemfira Kondur, Senior Project Officer for the Council of Europe’s project “Supporting the reform of the national minority legal framework and the resilience of national minorities and Roma in Ukraine” emphasized that the study will help develop practical steps and programs aimed at protecting the rights of national minorities. This, particularly, concerns the state program “Unity in Diversity.” She is convinced that these three studies will play a very important role in the development of a plan of measures dealing with the issues of national minorities, which is expected from Ukraine to fulfill the negotiated terms and framework, which have already been approved by the European Commission.

“The planned studies are extremely important for Ukraine and for the promotion of an informed decision-making policy and the development of those programs and policies that will contribute to the protection or strengthen the protection of the rights of national minorities in Ukraine. These studies will not only help to assess the socio-economic condition and needs of the representatives of national minorities or communities in Ukraine, but will also compile the needs of these representatives and track how much has changed or whether certain movements of national communities have taken place within Ukraine,” she said.

In turn Viktor Kovrei, Head of the Department of Cooperation with Ethnic Communities at the DESS, also emphasized the importance of conducting the nationwide study.

“It is really very important for us that a nationwide survey be conducted, so that we see the total scope of those who we can cover – as Ukrainians, and understand their attitudes and stereotypes towards national minorities and indigenous peoples, as well as their needs,” he explained.

According to Viktor Kovrei, for this purpose all Ukraine-controlled regions will be covered in the study. As for the regional surveys, two oblasts were chosen based on high concentration of national minorities in them – Zakarpattia and Chernivtsi regions.

During the briefing, it was also noted that on Monday, July 8, three tenders had already been put on the Prozorro system to search for sociological companies to do the relevant work.

Read more: https://mediacenter.org.ua/news