Weekly Update #119
June 10, 2024

General Figures

Refugees from Ukraine recorded across Europe 

5,942,300

Last updated May 16 2024

Covers those granted refugee status, temporary asylum status, temporary protection, or statuses through similar national protection schemes, as well as those recorded in the country under other forms of stay 

Refugees from Ukraine recorded beyond Europe

541,200

Last updated March 27 2024

Covers those granted refugee status, temporary asylum status, temporary protection, or statuses through similar national protection schemes, as well as those recorded in the country under other forms of stay 

Refugees from Ukraine recorded globally

6,483,500

Last updated May 16 2024

Source: UNHCR collation of statistics made available by the authorities

Briefing to the Security Council, 7 June 2024 by ASG for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator

Since we last briefed the Council three weeks ago, the civilian toll of attacks on Ukraine has continued to mount.

Few parts of the country are spared from these hostilities, particularly in the east, northeast and south. But an escalation in fighting in the Kharkiv region since 10 May has had the heaviest impact.

The Office for the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) reports that at least 174 civilians were killed and 690 were injured in May, the highest number of civilian casualties in a single month since June 2023. More than half of these casualties can be attributed to the fighting in Kharkiv.

Shopping centres, homes, educational establishments, shops, office buildings, parks and public transport have all been struck in recent weeks.

At least 18,100 people in the Kharkiv Region have been newly displaced, according to estimates by the International Organization for Migration.

With support from around 50 humanitarian organizations, more than 12,000 people are receiving assistance at a transit centre in Kharkiv City. This includes food and water, clothes, bedding, household items, cash, psychosocial support and legal assistance.

Civilians who remain in border and frontline areas in Kharkiv face dire conditions. Many are cut off from access to food, medical care, electricity and gas.

Elderly people are disproportionately affected, because they are often unable or reluctant to leave their homes. In northern Kharkiv – where the fighting is heaviest – more than half of those killed or injured have been over the age of 60.

In total, OHCHR has now verified the killing of at least 11,000 civilians and the injury of more than 21,000 others across Ukraine since 24 February 2022. The actual toll is likely much higher.

It is one year since the Kakhovka Dam disaster, one of the most significant incidents affecting civilian infrastructure since the start of the full-scale invasion.

Destruction of the dam unleashed monumental flooding, leaving large portions of the surrounding area under water. It destroyed homes, displaced families, ruined livelihoods, and disrupted water supply for millions of people.

It showed just how extensive and long-lasting the humanitarian impacts of a single incident affecting critical infrastructure can be.

That is why it is deeply concerning that systematic attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure – a feature of this war since February 2022 – continue.

Since 22 March 2024, the UN and its partners have identified six waves of such attacks across 15 regions, impacting health care and other social, payment and transport services, and disrupting electricity, gas, water supplies for millions of households. According to the United Nations Development Programme’s preliminary estimations based on available official data, the energy system in Ukraine is now down over 60 per cent of its pre-war generation capacity.

This, of course, has severe consequences for the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.

We note that strikes inside the Russian Federation in recent months, including in the Belgorod region, have also resulted in civilian casualties and damage to residential homes and other civilian infrastructure.

We are also deeply concerned about the impact of attacks on Ukraine’s transportation and port infrastructure on global food security.

In recent weeks, there have been worrying indications of renewed upwards pressure on global grain prices, linked to this damage to infrastructure in Ukraine, among other factors.

We reiterate that safe navigation throughout the Black Sea and the protection of ports and related civilian infrastructure must be assured, so that food exports can reach global markets predictably and efficiently.

As we commemorated International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression on 4 June, let me also highlight the particular impact of this conflict on children.

The physical, psychological and emotional harm on Ukrainian boys and girls has been immense.

More than 600 Ukrainian children have now been killed and 1,425 have been injured since the escalation of the armed conflict.

Children in frontline communities have spent between 3,000 and 5,000 hours in bomb shelters – the equivalent of four to seven months – causing immense stress and upheaval in their lives.

Many have had their educations disrupted, further jeopardizing their futures.

As with other vulnerable groups, children, particularly girls, have faced increased exposure to gender-based violence, domestic violence, and trafficking for sexual exploitation. Unavailable or overwhelmed protection services means access to support is extremely limited.

And one million children are among the close to four million people now internally displaced. Children also constitute a significant portion of the 6.5 million Ukrainian refugees recorded globally.

The scale of humanitarian needs in Ukraine remains vast.

More than 14.6 million people – about 40 per cent of the population – require some form of humanitarian assistance. Over half of them are women and girls.

We are incredibly grateful to the donors who have so far provided $856 million in humanitarian funding – or 27 per cent of the $3.1 billion required under the 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan.

This funding has enabled nearly 500 humanitarian organizations – around 70 per cent of them national organizations, including local women-led organizations – to provide assistance to more than 4 million people in the first four months of this year.

This is despite the many challenges.

Key among these challenges – as we have said repeatedly – remains the lack of humanitarian access to around 1.5 million civilians in areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia currently under the occupation of the Russian Federation. We must have rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access to all civilians in need in accordance with the requirements of international humanitarian law.

And as the conflict continues to escalate, and we look to kickstart preparations for another winter dominated by war, full funding of the humanitarian response plan is urgently needed to sustain operations.

I am compelled, once again, to recall that all parties must respect international humanitarian law, including by facilitating humanitarian relief for civilians in need and taking constant care to spare all civilians as well as civilian objects, including homes, schools, hospitals and other essential infrastructure. These obligations bind all parties equally, without depending on reciprocity, wherever military operations are carried out – whether in Ukraine or the Russian Federation. I urge all States to exert their influence to ensure that the parties respect international humanitarian law.

Well into the third year since the escalation of this war, it continues to rip apart civilian lives, homes and futures.

Millions of people are facing another year, and potentially another winter, of suffering and deprivation. Many, particularly those in frontline communities, continue to rely on humanitarian aid to meet their most basic needs.

The UN and its partners remain committed to supporting all those whose lives have been torn apart by this war.

But the longer the violence and destruction continue, the greater the suffering will become, and the bigger the task to rebuild shattered lives and communities. The long-term impact of this war will already be felt for many generations.

We welcome the Ukraine Recovery Conference, being held on 11-12 June in Berlin. This will be a key opportunity for donors, key partners and the UN to advance the Government’s recovery priorities and leverage financing for critical development in affected parts of the country.

And we continue to urge the Security Council and all Member States to do everything within their power to ensure respect for the rules of war, pursue peace, and bring the suffering of the Ukrainian people to an end.

Source: OCHA

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FAO Humanitarian response update, 5 June 2024

The Emergency Response Plan (ERP) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for 2024 requires USD 150 million to assist 821 050 people in rural areas through December 2024.

To date, FAO has raised USD 17.5 million against the total of USD 150 million under the ERP 2024, leaving a gap of USD 132.5 million, which are urgently needed to support vulnerable households and farmers in frontline areas during the production season of 2024 and in order to prepare for the winter season 2024/25.

In 2024, FAO has already supported 33 430 rural families with cash and voucher assistance and drip irrigation kits to enable them to cover their immediate needs and restore and keep production. Moreover, 3 130 farmers benefited from the distribution of spring crops seeds, generators, temporary storage equipment, animal feed, and cash and vouchers.

Due to the tense security situation in Kharkivska oblast, FAO will scale up its activities in the region, cooperating closely with the Government of Ukraine, local authorities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). FAO will increase its presence in the region to coordinate needs assessment and timely response, as well as monitor the needs for animal evacuation.

Impact of the war on the agriculture sector and food security in Ukraine

According to the Ministry of Economy, approximately 17.4 million ha are potentially contaminated. A large size of arable lands was abandoned because it is difficult to harvest or access fields that are either confirmed or believed to be contaminated.

In 2023, the cultivated area of cereal crops decreased by 9 percent for small agricultural enterprises and by 20 percent for frontline enterprises, in comparison with 2022. Furthermore, 12 percent of small enterprises reported that unexploded ordnance may have contaminated their land; with one in three reporting so in the frontline oblasts.

Commercial crop producers reported 2.3 percent decrease in cultivated land area in Ukraine compared to pre-war figures, totaling 266 400 ha loss. Approximately 10 percent of surveyed enterprises reported having part of their land potentially contaminated by unexploded ordnance, rising to over 21 percent in the frontline oblasts with a higher share of damaged agricultural machinery and equipment.

Ongoing and planned assistance

During spring 2024, FAO supported 2 892 small and medium-sized farmers from eight frontline oblasts with 3 847 tonnes of cereal seeds – spring wheat, sunflower and soybean seeds. The seeds provided allow farmers to cultivate 28 500 ha of land.

An additional 54 farmers from Kharkivska oblast received vouchers to purchase seeds and equipment in order to maintain operations on the unmined lands, as well as building materials to safeguard their premises from destruction. In 2023, these farmers also received cash transfers (USD 1 000 each) for livelihoods restoration.

 Responding to the ongoing energy crisis in the country,  FAO has been distributing generators to agricultural producers and food processors from nine frontline oblasts to ensure power backup source for crucial enterprises for food security in affected regions. In 2024, FAO has already distributed 15 generators to organic producers, and plans to support an additional 151 enterprises by the end of the year.

FAO has distributed 139 modular storage units (MSU) to farmers from Khersonska, Mykolaivska and Khakivska oblasts in order to provide farmers with temporary storage equipment. In total, 244 MSUs will be distributed to farmers in the coming weeks to cover their grain storage needs. Additionally, 204 grain sleeves have been distributed to 17 enterprises from Khersonska oblast.

FAO has provided 14 355 rural families from Donetska, Dnipropetrovska, Kharkivska, Khersonska, Zaporizska oblasts with sectoral cash payments worth USD 150 for purchasing animal feed.

Sectoral cash for livelihoods restoration was distributed to 2 860 mine-affected rural families in Kharkivska oblast, providing each with USD 700 for spring cultivation season. Similar support will be provided to 1 750 mine-affected households – each will receive sectoral cash payments/vouchers worth USD 800 to restore their livelihoods and continue food production in Mykolaivska oblast.

FAO has been providing vouchers to 15 715 families to enable them to purchase agricultural production inputs, restore livestock shelters and purchase veterinary medicine. An additional 5 030 families will receive vouchers for veterinary inputs before the end of June.

FAO plans to support 15 940 rural families with poultry production kits, containing 30 one-day-old poultry and 25 kg of starter feed, sufficient for two weeks. This support will enable the families to have a reliable supply of animal protein in about 42 days.

Partnerships

FAO works in close collaboration with the Government of Ukraine, particularly the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine and local administrations, as well as United Nations (UN) partners and NGOs.

Through the Food Security and Livelihoods Cluster (FSLC), FAO, in collaboration with the World Food Programme, is coordinating inter-agency work on food security and agriculture. Currently, there are 209 FSLC partners, including national and international NGOs and UN agencies, among others.

FAO works closely with implementing partners who play a crucial role in assisting with beneficiary selection, distributions, monitoring, and engagement with communities throughout the implementation of activities to ensure accountability and inclusion.

Source: FAO

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Ukraine Protection Response Update #1 January to April 2024

From January to April 2024, UNHCR’s protection response has reached 264,416 people on average supporting some 66,000 people each month with protection interventions.

• Of the 264,416 people reached with protection support, 76 per cent are females. 30 per cent or nearly 80,000 are older people above the age of 60 years, while some 11 per cent are minors. Over 24,000 people supported are living with a disability.

• In addition, UNHCR and partners promoted legal and policy developments through over 70 advocacy and judicial interventions aimed at improving access to rights for forcibly displaced, stateless and other war-affected people.

• 42 per cent of those supported live in six Oblasts, including Dnipropetrovska, Odeska, Kharkivska, Kyivska, Sumska and Mykolaivska.

RESPONSE HIGHLIGHTS: JANUARY-APRIL 2024

Over the first four months of 2024, UNHCR with partners provided legal assistance to over 33,000 individuals. IDPs, returnees and other war-affected people sought legal advice on HLP rights, social benefits, including pensions, and personal documentation.

UNHCR and its partners contributed to enhance the legal framework on the IDP Subsistence Allowance. Inputs to the law amendments were incorporated into Resolution #331, passed on 22 March 2024. As a result, families with a child under 3 years or with a child under 6 years requiring care, students under 23 years, and families with a member suffering from severe diseases became eligible for an additional six months of IDP subsistence allowance.

In April, UNHCR, jointly with IOM and NRC, facilitated a Protection Case Management training for 25 participants of 11 organizations to build the capacity of caseworkers providing protection assistance to forcibly displaced and other war-affected persons in Ukraine.

UNHCR and its partners reached more than 6,000 people through GBV awareness raising campaigns and events, such as International Women Day with 450 people participating in a forum on empowering women-led organizations through supporting their access to fundraising opportunities.

To promote the well-being, development and resiliency of children, UNHCR and its partners support children and caregivers through structured and guided community-based recreational and psychosocial support activities giving children opportunities to play, socialize, learn new skills, and promote self-expression. So far in 2024, over 17,000 war-affected and displaced children (55% girls; 45% boys) participated in UNHCR-supported community-based child protection activities.

UNHCR and its local NGO partners, most notably Stabilization Support Services (SSS), were key advocates in developing Resolution #812 introducing IDP Councils. Before Russia’s full-scale invasion, these Councils existed primarily in Donetska and Luhanska oblasts. These consultative bodies, composed of local authorities, IDPs and civil society representatives, exist at oblast and local levels to serve as a link between IDPs and local authorities to ensure that IDPs can actively participate in public decision-making. These councils are tasked with developing recommendations to ensure that IDPs are included in local programming and that programmes supporting durable solutions, particularly on housing and livelihood opportunities, are adopted. The Resolution received strong support from the Ministry of Reintegration of the Tempora

Source: UNHCR

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Pragmatically Integrating Sustainability Into the Reconstruction of Ukraine

According to the latest estimates, direct damage to Ukraine in the 2 years since Russia’s full-scale invasion has reached USD 155 billion, (Kyiv School of Economics, 2024) with economic losses amounting to USD 499 billion (World Bank, 2024). Considering an ambitious 10-year plan by the Ukrainian government and the international community, it will cost over USD 486 billion to fund reconstruction efforts (World Bank, 2024). Although devastating, this juncture can be a watershed moment for Ukrainian society to “build back better.”

Recently, the EU approved the regulation of the EUR 50 billion Ukraine Facility to finance the reconstruction of Ukraine.5 It operates similarly to the EU’s Resilience and Recovery Facility (RRF), offering a mix of grants and loans disbursed based on completing a national plan called the Ukraine Plan (Government of Ukraine, 2024).

It seemingly safeguards against many of the Bosnian pitfalls, providing a comprehensive medium-term strategy that outlines the structure of multi-level and interministerial governance, implementation responsibilities, monitoring and evaluation, and the associated audits. Further, collaboration between the Ukrainian government, civil society stakeholders, and the EU in its design serves to legitimize its transparent nature. In part, this is ensured through a 20% designation of funds toward municipalities.

Regarding the environment and climate, another 20% of non-exclusive funds have been earmarked to support the green transition based on the creation of tailored intervention fields from the EU taxonomy (European Commission, n.d.-a). Additionally, it mandates compliance with the “do no significant harm” principle to the greatest extent possible given the context of the war (European Commission, 2021), aiming not to finance projects that harm one of the six environmental objectives listed within the EU taxonomy.

One of the most prevalent issues within Ukraine’s reconstruction is the destruction of the residential sector. Over 250,000 buildings have been damaged since the start of the invasion (Kyiv School of Economics, 2024). Further, Ukraine’s housing infrastructure is very dated, with poor thermal insulation and high energy consumption that exceeds the European average by 30% to 50%.

The Ukraine Plan emphasizes the need to enhance the energy efficiency of buildings and set minimum standards, aiming to introduce a nearly-zero energy buildings (nZEB) standard by Quarter 2 of 2024.   It is projected to cost EUR 106 million to repair all damaged buildings to their prior efficiency, EUR 214 million to achieve the minimum Ukrainian standards (class C energy efficiency for new buildings and class D to reconstruct damaged buildings), and EUR 318 million to achieve nZEB for all buildings.

Source: IISD

 A heavily damaged house in the village of Novovorontsovka in the Kherson region on Monday

Source: CNN

ICMC supports the St. Nicolas House of Mercy rehabilitation center in the town of Lviv.  A newly established kindergarten, it provides preschool education to displaced and local children, and free childcare that enables internally displaced mothers to work during the day (courtesy of ICMC).