Diachenko A. Mechanisms of integration of internally displaced persons in Ukraine

In the thesis the mechanisms of integration of internally displaced persons in Ukraine and implementation of long-term decisions regarding this group of citizens as a priority of state social policy in Ukraine are substantiated and directions of their improvement are presented on the basis of introduction of the consolidated mechanism. It is shown that integral integration mechanism is an aid mechanism that compensates for the lack of necessary integration potential in host communities and in IDPs themselves, which the author interprets as a set of values, norms of law and models of solidarity that comprise a range of social institutions that promote balancing of the positions of society members. Thus, solidarity support mechanisms are implemented in the process of integrating IDPs into the host community. This is mutual assistance and support for IDPs based on common interests and the need to achieve common group goals; shared responsibility. The peculiarities of solidarity support mechanisms are determined by the closeness of the host community to the problems of social exclusion, which is why the resource imbalance of social actors actualizes the solidarity mechanisms of assistance and mutual assistance. According to the author, alongside with the creation of new concepts of solidarity, the assistance mechanisms play the role of maintaining or stabilizing integration ties and social relations in host communities. The peculiarities of the formation of integration mechanisms for internally displaced persons were identified, and it was shown that public authorities generally responded effectively to the crisis, although the institutional structure for the provision of IDP services was complicated by the involvement of many ministries and agencies to provide support to IDPs without any genuine coordination between them. It is proved that during 2014-2018 the important institutional and legal foundations of ensuring the rights and freedoms of IDPs were laid in Ukraine. Civil society actors, who were actively involved in the rights and freedoms of internally displaced persons (27 international organizations and 120 Ukrainian, including their regional offices working directly with IDPs), were identified. Overseas experience in implementing long-term decisions on internally displaced persons has been systematized and the priority areas for this activity have been identified. The algorithm of scientific support for the implementation of the IDP Integration Strategy has been constructed, which contains the following steps: diagnostics and measurement of the needs of internally displaced persons; replenishing the resource base to meet the needs of IDPs and allocating resources by cluster; differentiation of internally displaced persons into groups: persons with high level of integration potential; persons in need of permanent social assistance; persons for whom the integration process has already been completed; disintegrated persons with determining the cause; coordination of humanitarian assistance to IDPs; monitoring the status of IDPs; ensuring fulfillment of regulatory acts in the field of implementation of long-term IDP decisions; monitoring the degree of goals achievements of the IDP Integration Strategy. The analysis of IDP integration mechanisms allowed the author to systematize them as follows: legal, organizational, financial and economic, social, informative, and to suggest the development of the consolidated IDP integration mechanism with the definition of a coordinating center for this activity. Strategic measures on the integration of IDPs should ensure: raising public awareness to the integration of IDPs into host communities, their needs and existing problems; ensuring changes in society's attitude towards solving IDP problems (according to socio-cultural, socio-economic and humanitarian dimensions); increasing the level of complementarity of host communities to IDPs, enhancing the level of tolerance, trust and engagement in society.