Seven months of fight for the law on forcibly displaced persons, then another year of fight for adoption of this law in a perfect form, and then a victory! On November 3, 2015, the Parliament of Ukraine adopted our bill No. 2166. The law that all this time was being prepared by human rights organisations in cooperation with UNHCR and members of parliament. Currently, compromises are abandoned and we have an exemplary law fully complies with international standards.

The law wording contains a bulk of progressive innovations that favourably distinguish this law from the law in force.

For example, at present, foreign citizens and stateless persons, who permanently reside in the territory of Ukraine and resided in the temporarily occupied territories, will be able to become internally displaced persons. Also, by adoption of this law, we made a first step to derogation from the Soviet “propiska” (registration) rudiment. Now the citizens, who lived in the temporarily occupied territories before the occupation but were not registered there, will also be able to become internally displaced persons under the expanded procedure.

Another positive moment of this law is the fact that registered internally displaced persons don’t have to reregister their certificates from now on – they will be valid for life.

This law also helps internally displaced persons to get registered at the labour market and find a job. All of this will significantly facilitate the life of forcibly displaced persons.