Chapter 1. Observing social rights The material and technical resources of most rural cultural institutions remain unsatisfactory. In particular, in Kyiv oblast, 15 libraries and 24 culture clubs have been temporarily suspended due to the emergency condition of their premises and the lack of staff. Almost 400 cultural institutions are in need of overhaul, 469 are not provided with energy supplies, which makes it impossible for them to operate in the winter. Urgent solutions are necessary to create conditions to provide quality staff for the system of cultural services, in particular by bringing the level of salaries of cultural workers closer to the level of average salaries in the country, and providing training to them. In Vinnytsia and Kyiv oblasts, only 48.8% employees of cultural institutions have higher education background. There is a noticeable shortage of professionally trained staff with arts education. Almost 14% positions in arts and culture institutions remain vacant. The average salary of a librarian is UAH 4,000-5,000, of a teacher of an arts institution, UAH 5,500-6,000. There are no adequate conditions for seamless visits of persons with disabilities and low-mobility groups to cultural institutions. In Kyiv oblast, only 49 libraries (10% of total number) are equipped with ramps, sound alarms, information boards. Providing specialized libraries with Braille books for visually impaired people and Braille music books remains an issue. RECOMMENDATIONS To the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine: 1. To develop and submit to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine a draft law on amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On Culture” #2778-VI of 14 December 2010 that will define the general framework of providing cultural services to the population, functioning of the basic network of cultural institutions in new conditions (allow local governments to modify the basic network for the needs of the community, etc.), key provisions on formation and functioning of the cultural district, the system of government bodies in the field of culture and monitoring the implementation of national culture policy. 2. To develop and submit to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine a draft law on ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty in order to ensure access of the blind and visually impaired people or other persons with disabilities to the printed information. 51 CHAPTER 1 For example, in Vinnytsia oblast, 13% cultural institutions that are part of the ATCs continue to be financed from the district budgets or through local subsidies. In recent years, the Nartsyziv village club library in Lypovets district and Nemyriv district library for children have been liquidated; and the activity of three cultural institutions in the villages of Khmilnyk district was suspended. At the same time, in violation of Article 22 of the Law of Ukraine “On Culture,” the executive authorities and local self-government bodies of Nemyriv district did not apply to the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine to remove Nemyriv district library for children from the basic network.