A Pilot for Advancing a Participatory Reparation Policy in Ukraine
By Cristián Correa, Head of Reparation Praxis Hub, Global Survivors Fund
In the aftermath of the 2022 full-scale invasion, momentum around reparations for victims of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine grew rapidly, anchored by the UN General Assembly’s Resolution recognising the need for reparation. At the same time, Global Survivors Fund’s (GSF) engagement with survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) in Ukraine made clear that they could not wait for a future peace settlement or an international claims mechanism. Survivors required an urgent, survivor-centred response that recognised the specific harms of CRSV and addressed the significant obstacles they were facing in retelling their experiences, or providing the evidence that bureaucracies often require for the provision of remedies and reparation or access to justice.
In collaboration with committed counterparts inside the Ukrainian Government, civil society organisations, international organisations and survivor groups, GSF developed the concept of an urgent interim reparations framework. Based on that, and the active participation of survivors, we supported the development of a draft law and launched the Pilot Project on Urgent Interim Reparations for CRSV Survivors in Ukraine to demonstrate that survivors of CRSV could be identified, registered, and supported promptly through a process built on trust, accessibility, and dignity. Registration was open from May 2024 to June 2025, when the Law entered into force, and payments are being completed in February 2026.
Urgent Interim Reparations: A participatory and multi-stakeholder model
A core innovation of the pilot was its governance structure. From the outset, the initiative brought together government officials, civil society and international organisations, and survivors as equal partners. Progress sometimes required moving more slowly than initially hoped, but this was intentional. The priority was to establish a shared vision among all actors on how to design reparations that were genuinely accessible, prompt, and grounded in the specific needs and conditions of Ukraine. A Supervisory Board, comprising representatives from all three constituencies, guided the pilot and ensured shared ownership of its methodology and outcomes. Complementing this, an Identification Council was established as an independent body to assess each application. With two government representatives, two survivor representatives, and two civil society experts, the Council drew on a technical secretariat to review statements, conduct necessary research, and ensure decisions met rigorous yet realistic standards of proof. Civil society partners, namely Andreev Family Foundation, Elleos Ukraine, Blue Bird and Truth Hounds, played a central role in implementation. Intake and registration were conducted by trained caseworkers and psychologists experienced in trauma-informed practices, enabling survivors to share their experiences in a supportive and safe environment.
A survivor-centred registration process
The pilot intentionally departed from Ukraine’s typical state assistance models, which often rely on too many formalities and documentation. Instead, it introduced a registration process designed around careful listening, respect, and validation. Survivors were not required to provide detailed narratives or extensive evidence; where needed, the technical secretariat undertook complementary verification. This approach embedded acknowledgement and reparation into the very act of registration, recognising that for many survivors, being heard by a trusted professional is itself a measure of reparative value.
Impact and proof of concept
In less than 20 months, the pilot project identified. registered, and delivered compensation to 1,080 survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (726 men, 331 women, and 23 children (4 boys and 19 girls), including 107 survivors who suffered conflict-related sexual violence before the full-scale invasion, and referred them to rehabilitation services. Critically, the pilot offered survivors a sense of acknowledgement, which in itself was cited as having a reparative impact. The results demonstrated that urgent interim reparations are not only feasible but can be delivered with limited resources at scale when survivors, civil society, and government institutions work collaboratively. The pilot strengthened political consensus and informed the subsequent adoption of Ukraine’s 2024 national law establishing an interim reparation policy for CRSV survivors. Survivors themselves have given testimony to the impact that the pilot has had on their lives; our recent impact report highlights these in greater detail.
Next steps and continuing challenges
Important challenges remain. Implementation of the new policy – including securing a sustainable funding mechanism amid an ongoing war – will require sustained collaboration and political will. However, the pilot has created a strong ecosystem: survivors, CSOs, and government partners now share a common methodology, a sense of ownership, and a commitment to embedding the lessons learned into the national system. Together, we have shown that urgent interim reparations for CRSV survivors are both necessary and possible. The pilot offers a compelling model for participatory, survivor-centred reparation policy that can be adapted to other contexts and scaled in Ukraine.
This article was first published in the Community Corner of our Just Reparation newsletter. These contributions are invaluable in enriching our collective understanding and fostering meaningful dialogue within the reparation community of practice. If you would like to be featured, we encourage you to submit your contributions to [email protected].