“What most motivates Ukrainian refugees to return home and can a separate ministry satisfy this request?”, — write: epravda.com.ua
In a speech to the Internal Stability Plan of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the creation of the Ministry of Unification of Ukrainians, which “will deal with the affairs of the global Ukrainian community.” It seems that this is the new name for the Ministry of Unity / Ministry of Returning Ukrainians Home. The details of how the new institution will work are still unknown, but funds for its creation in 2025 have not been pledged. *** Due to the full-scale invasion of Russia, millions of Ukrainians were forced to go abroad. According to CES estimates, about 5 million Ukrainians still remain there. The departure of millions of people abroad, the occupation of Ukrainian cities, and the death of thousands of Ukrainians led to an increase in the demographic crisis. The demographic development strategy of Ukraine predicts that the population of Ukraine may decrease to 28.9 million by 2040.Advertisement:Advertisement: Read also: How other countries returned their migrants after wars and what to do in Ukraine “Ministry of Unity/Unification/Return of Ukrainians” – although the names for the new body are proposed to be different, its functions in various proposals are approximately the same – development of demographic policy, communication with the Ukrainian diaspora and developing policies to facilitate the return of people who left after the onset of a full-scale invasion. However, these functions are already performed by other state bodies, so the creation of a separate ministry may lead to duplication of state functions. For example, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ukrainian diplomatic institutions abroad deal with communication with the diaspora. Demographic policy and the development of a demographic strategy are the responsibility of the Ministry of Social Policy, migration can also be handled by the Ministry of Social Policy and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, etc. Research by the Center for Economic Strategy shows that, unfortunately, there is no simple recipe for the return of Ukrainian refugees. According to a survey of Ukrainian refugees commissioned by the CES, the most important factor that can stimulate Ukrainians to return is security. Thus, 54% of the respondents noted that the final end of the war would encourage them to return, for 37%, an important factor would be the absence of hostilities and the cessation of airstrikes on the city to which they plan to return. Another important factor is the economic situation – 40% say that a higher standard of living in Ukraine will make them more likely to return, and for 35% the possibility of finding a well-paid job in Ukraine is important. However, these problems are also not unique to refugees and cannot be solved by creating a separate body whose task is to return Ukrainians. Other recommendations, which in our opinion can contribute to the return of refugees, can also be more effectively implemented by specialized bodies of state power, rather than by a separate ministry. For example, the Ministry of Education should deal with the adaptation of children to study in Ukrainian schools after studying abroad, the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development, the State Agency for Rehabilitation and Infrastructure of Ukraine and local self-government bodies should deal with the reconstruction of infrastructure and refugee homes. The main problems that concern Ukrainians who have gone abroad – security, economy, recovery – also concern those Ukrainians who remained at home and those who were forced to change their place of residence within the country. Therefore, instead of creating new bodies that will duplicate the functions of existing institutions, it is worth focusing on improving the work of already existing bodies and new initiatives. For example, the institution of multiple citizenship, which the president also mentioned in his speech, has the potential to be implemented. On the one hand, it will help Ukrainians who have gone abroad to maintain ties with their homeland and make it easier for them to return if they want to. On the other hand, it can stimulate the arrival of immigrants, in particular representatives of the diaspora who want to live in Ukraine, but are not ready to give up another citizenship. In other words, the return of Ukrainians does not depend on the creation of a separate ministry, but on the effective solution of key problems — ensuring security, economic stability, and opportunities for a decent life for both those who left and those who stayed at home.
