REINTEGRATION OF IDPs AND DEMOBILIZED SOLDIERS FROM THE UFO (ATO) ZONE

Abstract

The paper provides insights to the issues of ongoing United Forces Operation (UFO) (formerly ATO) in Ukraine which resulted in a complicated military, political and socioeconomic situation, in particular in bringing the ethno-territorial tension in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, with a large number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) tracked in the country (over 1,500,000 persons) as well as demobilized and wounded in a military operations zone soldiers (about 80 000). Promoting employment and self-employment of economically active population will contribute to resolve contemporary painful socioeconomic problems, improve the situation on the labour market, reduce social tension etc. The research objective is the development of theoretical positions to provide rationale to an effective algorithm for reintegration of internally displaced persons and demobilized soldiers from the UFO (ATO) zone. The study employed the following research methods: a method of expert survey to diagnose the needs and demands of job seekers (IDPs and demobilized soldiers from the UFO (ATO) zone); a method of system analysis and logical generalization – to explore and identify the role of symbiosis of innovations in the fields of entrepreneurship and training for the demobilized from the UFO (ATO) zone; a critical thinking method – to elaborate a development framework and prospects for implementing social innovations in the areas of entrepreneurship and education; a matrix method – to identify the major components of reintegration programmes for IDPs and the demobilized from the UFO (ATO) zone. The findings suggest that multivariate combinations of the above components in the system of reintegration of IDPs and demobilized from the UFO (ATO) zone will allow to develop an effective instrument in the context of adaptation of socially vulnerable groups. Building conceptual principles for the IDPs and UFO (ATO) veterans’ adaptation algorithm based on the synergistic combination of all components of the proposed reintegration programme will ensure an integrated approach to solving the burning socioeconomic problems of adaptation of socially vulnerable population.