June 13-14, 2013 - UNFPA together with the Ministry for Social Policy of Ukraine held a workshop entitled “State Standards of Social Services for Older Persons” that gathered representatives of governmental institutions and NGOs, and also social workers of the Territorial Centers for Social Services from all over Ukraine.

Last year UNFPA provided assistance to the Ministry in the development of the three national standards of social services for older persons: for home-based care, institutional care and social adaptation. These standards currently are at different stages of pre-testing, including piloting in the field, at the institutions providing social care for older persons.

The purpose of this two-day workshop was to analytically review the draft standards, discuss their strengths and weaknesses, explore the lessons learned from their approbation and receive feedback, comments and suggestions from all stakeholders – in order to make the standards more effective and practical when finalized.

In her welcoming remarks to the participants of the workshop, UNFPA Representative in Ukraine Ms. Nuzhat Ehsan described the demographical ageing in Ukraine as a phenomenon that brings other important social challenges – like shrinking labor force, increasing economic and fiscal burden on working population, greater demand for social and health care services combined with their decreasing funding base.

Since 2007, UNFPA in Ukraine is committed to collaboration with the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine in order to assist Ukraine in the implementation of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, the global strategic roadmap for building the world of equal rights and opportunities for people of all ages.