During a session of the Lviv City Council, the representative of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights in Lviv Region, Taras Podvirnyi, described Lviv as an example for other communities in the field of human rights protection, accessibility development and support for veterans.
He highlighted the work of the Human Rights Protection Centre established in the city, which operates at 16 Vynnychenka Street. The Centre provides legal assistance to internally displaced persons, family members of service personnel, veterans, as well as to all residents who need protection of their constitutional rights and freedoms.
“We have created the Human Rights Protection Centre in Lviv Region. Many thanks to the Lviv City Council and the Halytskyi District Administration for helping to ensure architectural accessibility. In just two months of this Centre’s work, we have interviewed 44 children who were returned from temporarily occupied territories,” emphasised Taras Podvirnyi.
The Ombudsman’s representative stressed that Lviv is developing precedent-setting decisions in the field of accessibility, which are being followed by other cities of Ukraine. He separately noted the contribution of the Deputy Mayor for Accessibility, Iryna Maruniak, to the implementation of a barrier-free environment.
In his report, Taras Podvirnyi also focused on the city’s work to support service personnel and veterans. According to him, Lviv has effectively organised information support through the veteran’s guide, and is also developing the UNBROKEN ecosystem, which provides rehabilitation services for defenders.
He stressed that rehabilitation for veterans is a basic need rather than just a service, and thanked the city for its systematic support of these areas.
It should be recalled that at the end of 2024, the Lviv City Council Commissioner for Accessibility, Iryna Maruniak, received an award from the Ukrainian Ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, for implementing accessibility and a barrier-free environment in Lviv and for her personal contribution to the protection of human rights and freedoms. The award was presented to her by the representative of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights in Lviv Region, Taras Podvirnyi, during the regional forum “Civil Society and the Office of the Ombudsman of Ukraine: Joint Action for Human Rights”.