Kyiv, 21 August 2024 – The United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine assisted Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture and Information Policy in drawing up Methodological Recommendations for Ensuring Accessibility in the Media Sector, which have just been approved by the government.

The guidelines were based on best global practices in accessibility and international standards for ensuring the accessibility of audiovisual media services.

The ministry drew up the recommendations with the support of UNDP in Ukraine and funding from the Government of Japan, in line with point 42 of the Action Plan for the Implementation of the National Strategy for Creating an Accessible Space in Ukraine until 2030.

The goal of the recommendations is to help achieve the accessibility of audiovisual media services (excluding audio) for all users, including people with disabilities, individuals with post-traumatic stress disorders, the elderly, those with temporary vision and hearing impairments, cognitive disabilities, children, foreigners, and those in noisy environments.

Olena Ursu, UNDP Ukraine Democratic Governance Team Leader, noted that the issue of a barrier-free environment has become extremely relevant in Ukraine's recovery process. “Ensuring accessibility is of particular importance in the rebuilding and restoration of Ukraine, contributing to the creation of an inclusive society where all citizens have equal access to information and can actively participate in public life,” Ursu said. “UNDP in Ukraine is systematically working to ensure accessibility across various spheres, including the media space. We’re pleased to be able to support the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine in implementing this initiative.”

The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy recommends media use subtitling or translation into sign language, or other methods for ensuring information is accessible to everyone, including audio descriptions, plain language, or easy-to-read formats.

Hanna Krasnostup, Director of the Department of Information Policy and Information Security of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, highlighted the importance of the recommendations for ensuring accessibility. “These methodological recommendations are intended to help Ukrainian media adopt best global practices in accessibility,” Krasnostup said. “We aim to create an environment where everyone has equal access to information. This is an important step towards forming an inclusive society in Ukraine, where all citizens can freely access the necessary information.”

The recommendations seek to ensure that all people with disabilities can enjoy their human rights and fundamental freedoms. This includes the right to freedom of expression and belief, and the freedom to seek, receive, and disseminate information and ideas on an equal basis with others, using all forms of communication defined by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Read the recommendations here.

Media inquiries: Yuliia Samus, Head of Communications at UNDP Ukraine, yuliia.samus@undp.org