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Current Requirements (US$)$3.95 billion
Analysis of the context, crisis and needs
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which started on 24 February, has caused widespread death, destruction, displacement and suffering, and left at least 17.6 million people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection in 2023. They include 6.3 million internally displaced people (IDPs), 6.9 million people who remain at their homes and 4.4 million returnees. The highest severity of needs is among people living in areas not under the Government of Ukraine’s control and in areas directly affected by active hostilities.
In February 2022, the Russian Federation launched missile and rocket attacks in cities across Ukraine, while ground troops moved in from the north, east and south. The Ukrainian counteroffensive retook the north of the country by April. Fighting continues in the east and south, with the front line continually shifting, and many areas becoming newly accessible to humanitarian actors responding to a steadily increasing number of people in severe humanitarian need in these locations.
Kharkiv, Khakivska Oblast, Ukraine
A man observes a damaged business.
OCHA/Matteo MinasiIn October, attacks against energy infrastructure, often in and around urban areas, intensified, further disrupting public services including water, electricity, health care, education and social protection. This will exacerbate needs and likely cause more displacement as temperatures drop as low as -20°C, potentially leading to a humanitarian catastrophe if needs are not addressed. According to the Government of Ukraine, the war damaged 2,677 education facilities, of which 331 are destroyed. Between 24 February and 22 November 2022, there were 703 verified attacks on health care. These attacks took the lives of 100 people, injured 129 and impacted 618 health care facilities. This corresponds to over 90 per cent of WHO recorded attacks on 684 health care facilities across 15 countries/territories during this period.
In the first two months of fighting, the war uprooted more than 30 per cent of Ukraine’s population. More than 6 million people returned to their places of origin by September, including 21 per cent from abroad, but more than 7.7 million people are still trying to find safety and security as refugees abroad. Almost twice as many civilians have been killed over the past eight months (6,114 civilians) than in the past eight years of conflict (3,404 civilians), according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. People in war-affected communities, including near the front- lines, are exposed to constant bombardment, armed violence, and landmine and explosive remnants of war contamination, contributing to dynamic displacements in country.
Zaporizhzhia, Zaporizka Oblast, Ukraine
Families wait to depart from Zaporizhzhia to other parts of Ukraine, in September 2022. Between 1,200 and 2,000 people arrive at this assembly point every day, fleeing towns and villages experiencing active fighting in the east and the south. Here, they receive a hot meal and some supplies before they continue their journey to safer parts of Ukraine, or to other countries.
OCHA/Matteo MinasiAmong people who remained in towns and villages, assessments show the highest needs are in the east, especially among older people, people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. The war has severely impacted access to pensions, health care and other basic services, including adequate housing. Older people, including those with disabilities, have encountered challenges accessing bomb shelters and necessary supplies. Meanwhile, northern oblasts have seen many people who have returned requiring humanitarian assistance.
The most vulnerable IDPs include those currently living in collective centres, many of which are not properly equipped to meet long-term accommodation needs. Urgent needs are heating/fuel, construction repairs, food, bathing facilities and essential items. As most of the people displaced are women and girls (64 per cent), sexual and reproductive health services, along with gender-based violence prevention and response services, are critical. Additionally, a significant proportion of displaced people report a family member who is older (39 per cent), chronically ill (30 per cent) or living with a disability (nearly 25 per cent), presenting additional needs concerning financial and social support, health care and accessible facilities.
The war has exacerbated pre-existing inequalities. Across the country, marginalized groups including LGBTIQ+, Roma, people with disabilities and people living with HIV/AIDS are at heightened risk of exclusion, sexual and economic exploitation, violence and abuse. Each group may require special approaches to aid delivery, as they often face discrimination by local authorities when seeking assistance and services.
Ukraine: Farming During Wartime
After months of stalemate in delivering grain and food from Ukraine, farmers like Volodymyr Varbanets can now export their harvests to the rest of the world. The Black Sea Grain Initiative, mediated by the UN and Türkiye, made this possible.
Projected situation in 2023 and beyond
The war has been marked by severe violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. Since 10 October 2022, the Russian Federation has admitted to deliberately targeting the nation’s energy infrastructure, resulting in the Government of Ukraine estimating that between 30 and 40 per cent of the country’s energy facilities were damaged as of early November, pending damage assessments. Destruction of civilian infrastructure causes severe disruption of electricity, running water, telecommunications, health care, transportation and other essential services. A likely worsening energy crisis in the winter months necessitates urgent additional support related to heating, insulation and fuel.
The war has profoundly disrupted the Ukrainian economy. In addition to the loss of nearly 5 million jobs by August 2022, the nation’s total GDP is expected to contract by more than 30 per cent in 2023, and it is likely to shrink further as the war continues. This will further hamper livelihoods and threaten civil society’s capacity to provide the extensive volunteer support to people impacted by the war.
Across Ukraine, 26 per cent of people report a lack of access to essential medicines and health services, with the situation particularly acute in the east (29 per cent) and south (31 per cent), and with older people worse off. Additional needs include protection, shelter and critical household items, water and hygiene support, and education. Humanitarian space and humanitarian access to areas not under the Government of Ukraine’s control remain extremely limited. This prevents comprehensive needs assessments and assistance at the required scope and scale. However, as humanitarian needs are severe in areas where the Government of Ukraine has retaken control, it is assumed that the situation is similar or worse for communities currently inaccessible to the international humanitarian community.
Lysychansk, Luhanska Oblast, Ukraine
A woman collects water from a truck. Damage to infrastructure across the country has hampered access to safe water for drinking and cooking, particularly affecting people living close to the front line.
OCHA/Oleksandr RatushniakResponse priorities in 2023
In the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), the humanitarian community will target 9.4 million people with multisectoral humanitarian assistance, prioritizing areas with a high intersectoral severity of needs in the east, including in areas retaken by the Government. The target population includes 4.9 million people who remain at their homes, 2.8 million IDPs and 1.7 million returnees.
Ukraine HRP
The financial requirement of US$3.9 billion for the 2023 HRP corresponds to the widespread destruction, displacement and human suffering caused by the war. It also takes into account a potential severe deterioration of the humanitarian situation as a consequence of the energy crisis, which will further deepen humanitarian needs. The response to identified humanitarian needs is based on the concept of complementarity to planning frameworks of the Government, development partners, and Ukrainian volunteer and civil-society organizations. It also takes into account inflation, which makes the provision of aid more expensive.
The 2023 response will focus on two strategic objectives:
- Provide principled and timely multisectoral life-saving assistance to IDPs, non-displaced people and returnees, ensuring their safety and dignity.
- Enable access to basic services to IDPs, non-displaced people and returnees.
Cash assistance lightens the load for displaced families
In Ukraine, millions of people were forced to flee as their homes were bombarded and their livelihoods destroyed. Many previously self-sufficient families now struggle every day to survive. As several ATMs and food markets still function throughout most of the country, the humanitarian community is able to use multi-purpose cash assistance as the most context-appropriate response, targeting 6.3 million people with US$1.7 billion in 2022.
One particular family of five, whose ages range from 15 to 87, relocated from eastern Ukraine in March, when fighting got close to their home. They packed only basic necessities and headed to Vinnytsia, where they stayed in a students’ dormitory. Thirty-four-year-old Vadym had to carry his 61-year-old grandmother, Natalia, in his arms for parts of the way, given her difficulties walking.
“The war had a huge impact on our family,” said Natalia. “We lost our homes, and we lost our jobs. We are extremely grateful that we can stay in this dormitory, but we don’t know what will happen next. Because of the fighting in areas near our home, we cannot go back. We worry about our future.”
Today, the family relies on cash assistance from UNHCR.
“When I received the cash, I felt like the weight on my shoulders became much lighter,” said Vadym. “I knew we would be able to buy medicines for grandma and food for the family. Until I find a new job, we need this support.”
More than 80 per cent of the people who received multi-purpose cash assistance in Ukraine reported that it helped to partially or fully meet their basic needs. Giving people the power to make their own financial choices allows them to meet their immediate needs but while also supporting their family, community and local economy.
References
- WHO, ‘Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care’, accessed 22 November 2022.