Key points
- The government has approved the Concept of the Volunteer Development Programme until 2030.
- The programme shapes new approaches to supporting volunteers and civil society organisations.
- The document proposes European standards for insurance, training and coordination of volunteers.
- Volunteer activity has increased since the start of the full-scale invasion, but remains unsystematic.
- The programme strengthens the role of communities, resilience centres and partnership projects.
The Ukrainian government has approved the Concept of the State Targeted Social Programme for the Development of Volunteer Activities until 2030. The Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine, together with its partners, is finalising the draft programme for further approval. The document defines updated state approaches to supporting volunteers and civil society organisations.
The volunteer movement in Ukraine remains active, but its development has not yet been systematic. There are no unified mechanisms for coordination, evaluation of results, and support for volunteers. This makes it difficult to determine the extent of assistance and its effectiveness. Before the full-scale invasion, participation in volunteerism was growing slowly: from 5% of the population in 2010 to 18% in 2018. Young people aged 14–35 were the most active. For comparison, volunteering covers more than 70% of the population in EU countries.
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After the start of full-scale war, involvement increased sharply: in 2022, 59% of Ukrainians helped the military, internally displaced persons and affected communities, and 74% volunteered during the year as a whole. Volunteers work in difficult and often dangerous conditions, especially in regions close to the front line, and therefore need greater state support and social protection.
The programme provides a comprehensive vision for the development of volunteering at the national, regional and local levels. It takes into account European models of motivation and support for volunteers, including insurance and cost compensation mechanisms. The document strengthens the role of local communities, in particular through Resilience Centres, which can become a platform for organising volunteer initiatives.
Approaches to organising volunteer work are defined separately: from model agreements and partnership programmes to regular assessment of their implementation. Training for coordinators, tools for promoting volunteering among children, young people and older people, as well as mechanisms for interaction with civil society organisations are provided for.
Ukraine continues to develop a modern state policy in the field of volunteering, focused on the real needs of people and best European practices. Earlier, the BRIDGE 2025 National Forum of the Charitable Sector was held in Kyiv, where the challenges of humanitarian response and priorities for the development of civil society were discussed.
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