A roundtable discussion on “Improving the level of barrier-free accessibility in the city” was held in Uzhhorod. This event is part of the Step to the Dream advocacy campaign, which is being implemented thanks to a grant provided by the League of the Strong public union as part of the Z.N.A.M.I. project with technical support from UN Women Ukraine / UN Women in Ukraine and funding from the UN Women’s Peace & Humanitarian Fund (WPHF). This was announced by Iryna Ageieva, project manager of “The League of the Strong” public union.
“The common task of the government and the public is to create conditions for people with disabilities that enable them to live a full life, realize their abilities and talents, and be active members of society. This is the goal of the advocacy campaigns implemented under the Z.N.A.M.I. project,” said Iryna Ageieva, project manager of “The League of the Strong” NGO.
During the roundtable, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the NGO “Dream in Action” and the Uzhhorod City Council. This is the first step toward creating a more accessible and inclusive city for people with disabilities. Uzhhorod also plans to create a pilot website with a map of the most accessible places, and monitor the accessibility of 50 healthcare, education, physical development, social, economic and cultural facilities. It is expected that an inclusive restroom will appear in the central part of the city – a corresponding appeal is currently being prepared.
The roundtable was attended by representatives of the authorities, NGOs, clergy, architects and citizens with disabilities.
At the event, the participants were introduced to the plans of the advocacy campaign. In particular, it includes the creation and distribution of promotional videos about communication, communication culture, and the needs of people with disabilities; preparation and distribution of information postcards about tolerant communication with people with disabilities.
In September 2023, the League of the Strong public union launched the first enrollment for advocacy training for women with disabilities as part of the Z.N.A.M.I. project. Participants were taught to create and implement advocacy plans and develop advocacy campaigns. The training program of the School of Advocacy within the framework of the Z.N.A.M.I. project by the League of the Strong has now been completed. The online course was attended by 186 participants from 100 non-governmental organizations. A total of 19 winners were selected to receive grant funding of UAH 6.9 million.
The Z.N.A.M.I. project is implemented with the technical support of UN Women Ukraine and funded by the UN Women’s Peace & Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), a flexible and responsive funding instrument that supports quality interventions to increase the capacity of local women to prevent conflict, respond to crises and emergencies, and seize key peacebuilding opportunities.
WPHF provides emergency funding to local women’s civil society organizations (CSOs) in Ukraine. With technical support from UN Women, WPHF funds women’s organizations and women-led CSOs to support their critical frontline work, provide urgent humanitarian assistance to refugee women and internally displaced persons (IDPs), and protect women and girls from sexual and gender-based violence.
This publication has been prepared with the financial support of the United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), but this does not imply that the views and contents expressed herein are officially endorsed or recognized by the United Nations.