Ministry of Social Policy invited 23 countries to sign bilateral memoranda on protection of children's rights from vulnerable categories

The Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine Maryna Lazebna said that today a formal proposal had been sent to 23 countries through diplomatic channels to conclude bilateral memoranda on protection of the rights of displaced children from vulnerable categories and a draft memorandum as well.

The text of the draft memorandum was developed based on the results of bilateral and multilateral meetings of Marina Lazebna with heads of relevant ministries and

social protection institutions of partner countries, as well as the results of the proposals of members of the Coordination Headquarters for Protection of Children's Rights under Martial Law.

In particular, the draft memorandum addresses the following issues:

• protection of the rights and needs of children from vulnerable categories who have been relocated to other countries;

• the procedure for keeping consular records of such children,

• guarantees of their return to Ukraine after the situation improves,

• prevention of adoption of Ukrainian children without the consent of Ukraine and application of national legislation on adoption.

"The memoranda will be signed in the near future. In this way, we will legally fix the agreements we have reached with partner countries that are already in place to protect the rights of vulnerable children who have been relocated to other countries.

These are, first of all, orphans, children deprived of parental care, children who were in institutional care around the clock, placed in foster families, family-type orphanages, children that crossed the border unaccompanied," commented Maryna Lazebna.

She said that the proposal and the draft memorandum, in accordance with previous agreements, were addressed to the following partner countries:

• Republic of Austria

• Kingdom of Belgium

• Republic of Bulgaria

• Republic of Greece

• Republic of Estonia

• Kingdom of Spain

• Italian Republic

• Republic of Cyprus

• Republic of Latvia

• Republic of Lithuania

• Federal Republic of Germany

• Republic of Poland

• Republic of Portugal

• Republic of Romania

• The Slovak Republic

• Republic of Slovenia

• Republic of Hungary

• French Republic

• Republic of Croatia

• Czech Republic

• Swiss Confederation

• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

• Republic of Turkey