Lawyering Peace Podcast with Lidiia Kuzmenko, Protection Officer at UNHCR’s Ukraine Country Office

Lawyering Peace features Lidiia Kuzmenko, Protection Officer at UNHCR’s Ukraine Country Office, who offers a powerful look into the human reality of internal displacement during Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.

Lidiia shares how more than five million people uprooted inside Ukraine navigate legal, social, and humanitarian barriers while striving to rebuild their lives. She explains UNHCR’s protection mandate in practice, the critical role of documentation, challenges in accessing housing and livelihoods, and the conditions required for safe and voluntary return to de-occupied areas.

In this conversation, we explore:

• The daily realities facing displaced families across Ukraine;
• How gaps in documentation affect access to rights and services;
• UNHCR’s community based protection model and support to vulnerable groups;
• Ukraine’s emerging innovations in IDP participation and legal reform; and
• What durable solutions look like in a conflict that remains dynamic and unpredictable. 

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