EVOLUTION OF POLITICAL AND LEGAL MECHANISMS FOR ENSURING SOCIAL SECURITY IN UKRAINE

Abstract

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of the social security system in Ukraine as one of the key elements of national security. The author reveals the essence of social security as a holistic mechanism for protecting the vital interests of citizens in the field of social protection, employment, healthcare, pension provision and support for socially vulnerable categories of the population. It is determined that social security in the context of hybrid challenges, armed aggression against Ukraine, economic instability and aggravation of the humanitarian situation is gaining particular relevance. Modern legal mechanisms for ensuring social security are analyzed, in particular the regulatory framework, state social protection programs, labor and employment policies, as well as measures to combat poverty and social exclusion. Particular attention is paid to the problems facing the Ukrainian social protection system in connection with the war: internal population displacement, an increase in the number of people in need of assistance, a decrease in labor activity, a decrease in the state’s financial resources. It is shown that current challenges require not only an operational response, but also a strategic rethinking of conceptual approaches to the formation of social policy. The article considers the prospects for strengthening the social stability of the state, improving the legislative framework, digitalization of social services and the formation of partnerships between the state, civil society and international organizations. The author justifies the need to integrate social security into the general discourse of security policy and offers recommendations for building a more flexible, effective and people-centered model of social protection in Ukraine in the conditions of a prolonged crisis.