Lecturers of the Department of Psychology, Political Science and Socio-Cultural Technologies Olena Kupenko and Kristina Sakhno coached eight trainings on "Integration of Protection" for representatives of local communities from Mykolaiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Dnipro regions. Participants included heads of amalgamated territorial communities, starostas, social workers, representatives of NGOs, educators and members of IDP councils.

The trainings provided an opportunity to learn about the principles and standards that ensure the provision of humanitarian assistance on a safe, accessible, accountable and inclusive basis. The main focus was on ensuring the protection of affected persons and those at risk through cooperation with government and civil society organizations.

The training program was developed by the Right to Protection CF and the National Assembly of People with Disabilities of Ukraine. It includes:

• key international standards and principles of humanitarian response;
• protection integration and its elements;
• standards for the protection of people with disabilities;
• an algorithm for implementing accountability policies;
• protection risks in crisis situations and ways to mitigate them.

The application of protection principles in the provision of humanitarian assistance guarantees the protection of the rights of victims and the observance of their safety and dignity. It also helps to implement measures to mitigate protection risks. Knowledge of these principles will increase the capacity of communities to cope with emergencies.

Additionally, a training for ACCESS Consortium partners was held in Kyiv, which was attended by representatives of the Right to Protection CF, Acted Ukraine, People in Need Ukraine, NewWay, and the National Assembly of People with Disabilities of Ukraine. The participants exchanged experiences and identified potential for cooperation in the regions to meet the needs of beneficiaries.

The training was organized by the Right to Protection Charitable Foundation as part of the EU-funded Access to Multipurpose Humanitarian Aid project.