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### 1. Essence of the Act
\nThis Decree of the President of Ukraine establishes a new unified advisory and consultative body \u2014 the Coordination Council on the Protection of the Rights of War Veterans, Prisoners of War, Civilian Hostages, and Missing Persons, as well as Members of Their Families. The primary objective of establishing this body is the systematic coordination of state policy and the formulation of effective solutions to protect the rights and social guarantees of the specified categories of citizens. The Council is designed to unite the efforts of key state institutions, law enforcement and security agencies, and human rights defenders to respond promptly to challenges arising from the consequences of the war. The Decree consolidates previously fragmented consultative bodies into a single, effective structure under the direct leadership of the Office of the President.<\/p>\n
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### 2. Structure of the Act, Key Provisions, and Amendments
\nStructurally, the document consists of three main parts:
\n1. **The text of the Decree** (5 paragraphs), which directly establishes the Council, approves its Regulations and personal composition, and repeals previous acts.
\n2. **The Regulations on the Coordination Council** (11 paragraphs), defining its status, tasks, rights, and rules of procedure.
\n3. **The personal composition** (a list of 15 high-ranking officials).<\/p>\n
**Amendments compared to previous versions:**
\nThis Decree completely reformats the system of presidential consultative bodies in the field of protecting the defenders of Ukraine. It declares as expired (repeals) four previous presidential decrees (adopted during 2020\u20132022) which established the Advisory Council on War Veterans’ Affairs and the Advisory Council on Ensuring the Rights and Freedoms of the Defenders of Ukraine. Instead of several separate bodies, a single unified coordination center is established with a broader scope of authority and a significantly higher level of representation.<\/p>\n
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### 3. Key Provisions Important for Practical Use
\nFor a practical understanding of the Coordination Council’s activities, the following provisions of the approved Regulations are key:<\/p>\n
* **Target protection groups (para. 1):** The Council’s activities explicitly extend to four categories: 1) veterans and their families; 2) prisoners of war and their families; 3) civilians deprived of personal liberty as a result of the aggression of the Russian Federation; 4) persons missing under special circumstances and their relatives.
\n* **Key tasks (para. 3):** The Council is authorized to draft and submit to the President draft laws and other regulatory acts aimed at improving social and legal guarantees, to analyze the effectiveness of national and international protection mechanisms, and to develop proposals for honoring the memory of the deceased.
\n* **International aspect (para. 3, subparagraph 7):** A specific task is defined as facilitating the consolidation of international efforts to compel the aggressor state to comply with the norms of international humanitarian law (in particular, regarding the treatment of prisoners of war).
\n* **Instruments of influence (para. 4):** The body has the right to unhindered access to information and materials from ministries, local authorities, and enterprises, to engage independent experts in its work, and to establish working (expert) groups.
\n* **Personal composition:** The Council is headed directly by the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine (Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov), with the Deputy Head of the Office of the President (Iryna Vereshchuk) serving as secretary. The composition also includes the heads of the defense and security sector (Minister of Defense, Minister of Internal Affairs, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, leadership of the Security Service of Ukraine [SBU], Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine [SZRU], Main Directorate of Intelligence [GUR]), relevant ministers, the Military Ombudsman, and the Human Rights Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. This ensures the highest level of decision-making and their rapid implementation.<\/p>\n