Today, December 3rd, we recognize International Day of Persons with Disabilities, emphasizing the significance of human dignity as the foundation of a just society.

The focus is on equal access for everyone: the right to mobility, access to quality services, education, and employment. The individual, their choices, independence, and ability to actively participate in community life should be the primary priority in all decisions.

Conflicts have made the issue of barrier-free living even more urgent. It’s no longer just about individual initiatives, but rather a necessity for a long-term change in management, design, and interaction approaches — a philosophy that shapes the future of urban spaces and digital services.

Thus, it is crucial to continue working on integrating accessibility as a norm in all areas. This process has strong societal support. Over the past two years, more than 40 state standards for accessibility have been updated, and a draft law on the basic principles of state policy regarding barrier-free space in Ukraine is being prepared. A comprehensive monitoring of accessibility has been conducted nationwide, along with the creation of an Interactive Barrier-Free Map containing open data on over 70,000 facilities.

As part of the First Lady of Ukraine's initiative “Without Barriers,” this year the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development launched the “Movement Without Barriers” flagship project, which covers 15 pilot communities where comprehensive barrier-free routes are being developed, with plans to scale the best solutions across the country.

Our collective goal is to ensure that accessibility becomes the norm and that barrier-free standards are upheld at the national, regional, and local levels.

Let’s work together to build a country where everyone can live fully, realize their potential, and not be hindered by barriers.