Weekly Update #13
May 24

Total Refugee influx from Ukraine in neighboring countries

Country Population

Belarus - 27,308

Hungary - 626,548

Poland - 3,439,857

Republic of Moldova - 467,636

Romania - 943,015

Russian Federation - 887,651

Slovakia - 432,502

General humanitarian situation

Link: https://reports.unocha.org/en/country/ukraine

Intense fighting continued in eastern Ukraine throughout the reporting period, especially in Luhanska oblast (east), while airstrikes and missile attacks were reported almost daily in several oblasts across the country. On 17-18 May, hostilities in Luhanska oblast were reported to move closer to its administrative centre – Sievierodonetsk. It was also reported that at least four civilians had been killed and one injured and that there had been more significant damage to civilian housing and infrastructure. While Luhanska oblast has been the most affected by hostilities, active fighting and air attacks have also been reported in eastern Donetska and Kharkivska oblasts. Throughout the week, there were also reports of airstrikes elsewhere, often hitting infrastructure but also residential areas and resulting in civilians being killed and injured. Namely, the strikes reportedly affected an oil refinery in Poltavska oblast (centre), residential homes in Zaporizka oblast (south-east), the energy infrastructure in Dnipropetrovska oblast (centre), a residential building, kindergarten and other buildings in Sumska oblast (north-east), residential areas of Chernihivska oblast (north), railway infrastructure in Lvivska oblast (west) and a private house in Mykolaivska oblast (south).

Meanwhile, in southern Khersonska oblast, humanitarian needs are growing – especially for medicines, food and cash – as active hostilities have been reported as continuing around Vysokopilska hromada, south of the Government-controlled Kryvyi Rih (Dnipropetrovska oblast). On 14 May, a gas pipeline was reportedly damaged in Stanislav (west of Kherson city). Moreover, on 16 May, Kherson Mayor said that medicines would run out in two weeks, adding that oxygen supplies were also limited. The oblast authorities have reported disruptions to electricity and water supplies as well as to cell phone and online services in both Government-controlled and non-Government-controlled areas (GCA and NGCA), and that food is running low in some places.

The need for cash and medicines is also widespread. The authorities have also been calling for safe corridors to evacuate civilians and deliver humanitarian aid. Reportedly, however, residents have only limited freedom of movement within the oblast and are not allowed to leave new NGCA areas, while volunteers with humanitarian aid are not allowed to enter. There was a report on 17 May of some civilians waiting for several days in a kilometres-long queue of vehicles – trying to drive north out of Khersonska oblast. There have also been reports of evacuation efforts in other areas.

Civilian casualties and damages to civilian infrastructure

According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), as of 17 May, the number of civilian casualties stands at 7,964 in the country: 3,778 killed and 4,186 injured, according to OHCHR. More than half (4,326) of all casualties so far verified have been recorded in GCA and NGCA of Donetska and Luhanska oblasts. The actual number of civilian casualties across Ukraine is likely considerably higher, as the receipt of information from some locations where intense hostilities have been going on has been delayed, and many reports are still pending corroboration.Separately,

Ukraine’s Prosecutor General reported on 13 May that there had so far been over 640 child casualties of the war, including 226 children reportedly killed and another 420 injured. The Prosecutor General’s Office said that most of the casualties, 139, had been registered in Donetska oblast, followed by 116 in Kyivska (north) and 99 in Kharkivska oblasts and that there were also significant numbers in Chernihivska (north), Khersonska, Luhanska, Mykolaivska (south) and Zaporizka (south-east) oblasts. The UN conducts independent verification of civilian casualties, which might differ from the number of civilian casualties reported by the UN Member States.

The Joint Centre for Control and Coordination (JCCC) in Donetska oblast (NGCA), on its official website, maintains a database of war damage, listing daily damage to infrastructure and social facilities in the NCGA of Donetska oblast, including medical facilities, educational institutions, social and production facilities (i.e., garages, workshops, administrative offices, grocery stores, etc.), critical infrastructure facilities (i.e., hazardous materials storage, transformer sub-stations, water storage, etc.), and electricity, water and gas supply facilities.

The records show damage recorded since the beginning of 2022, however, the figures have not been independently verified by the UN. As reported, the majority of the damage has occurred since 24 February. Since the beginning of 2022, as of 18 May, 3,466 residential buildings have been damaged. In addition, 729 civil infrastructure facilities have been affected, including nearly 320 electricity, water and gas supply facilities, over 210 social and production facilities, more than 120 educational institutions, over 40 medical facilities and more than 25 critical infrastructure facilities. Overall, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science, as of 18 May, 1,604 education facilities across the country have been damaged and 144 destroyed.

War crimes allegations

Human Rights Watch (HRW), in a new report published on 18 May, confirmed that evident war crimes were committed in Chernihivska and Kyivska oblasts from late February through March when civilians were subjected to “summary executions, torture, and other grave abuses.” HRW said that, in 17 villages and small towns visited last month, it investigated 22 apparent summary executions, nine other unlawful killings, seven cases of torture, and six possible enforced disappearances, and that 21 civilians described unlawful confinement in inhuman and degrading conditions. HRW said that it also interviewed 65 people between 10 April and 10 May – including former detainees, torture survivors, families of victims, and other witnesses – and examined physical evidence as well as photos and videos. The report specifically describes the apparent war crimes as having been committed in areas that were, at the time, under the control of the Russian Federation military and concluded that they “should be promptly and impartially investigated and appropriately prosecuted.”

Access to water and sanitation

The situation with access to water remains particularly dire in the eastern part of the country, while the possibility of restoring water supplies and bringing in water remains limited. Local authorities in Mariupol (Donetska oblast) recently warned that thousands of people could die there simply as a result of the poor sanitary conditions caused by the war, including weeks of bombardments and encirclement. They report that as many as 170,000 residents remain in the devastated port city, mainly older people, people with disabilities and people who are ill. Mariupol City Council said that conditions are ripe for the outbreak of diseases among an already-weakened population with only limited or no access to water, sanitation, medicine and health care. On 17 May, the World Health Organization (WHO) specifically warned that an outbreak of cholera might occur in Mariupol because of the poor quality of the drinking water there. It was said that NGOs have reported how sewage water can be mixed with drinking water in the city. WHO said that, as a result, it is prepared for the spread of diseases, especially cholera, including by having vaccines ready.

Moreover, local authorities in Luhanska oblast say as electricity was disconnected across most settlements controlled by the Government of Ukraine due to hostilities, a dependable water supply has not been available across the GCA of Luhanska oblast for over a week. The situation with the water supply is also reportedly critical in the NGCA of Donetska oblast, where, according to NGCA sources, remaining water reserves for the largest NGCA city — Donetsk — are sufficient only for 20-25 days. Moreover, according to public sources, the city of Mykolayiv (Mykolaivska oblast) had no drinking water supply for several consecutive days due to water pipeline damage, with constant shelling making repair work challenging. By 9 May, the water supply was reportedly gradually restored to taps but remained unsafe for drinking.

Environmental impacts

Ukraine’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, in its report as of 12 May, outlines what it describes as the environmental impacts that the war has so far had on the country, including damages to nuclear facilities and the threat of radiation, damages to infrastructure and industrial sites as well as pollution, and damages to natural reserves and protected ecosystems, freshwater resources as well as to the Azov and Black seas. The report explains that the Ukrainian Government is seeking to record, as in other areas, the impacts of the invasion, and specifically on the environment, partly to be able to protect its citizens, strengthen international cooperation and appeal for justice. The Ministry notes, for example, that, on 3 May, the Ukrainian Parliament adopted a law concerning Ukraine’s accession to the Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents as a way to be able to better cooperate internationally in environmental protection.The report also says that remediation work is ongoing at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant and in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone(Kyivska oblast) following hostilities and the presence of the military there. It points out that Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (Zaporizka oblast) is now located in an area no longer controlled by the Ukrainian Government. The ministry report also describes how the war, among other impacts, has deprived some 4.6 million Ukrainians across the country of access to safe drinking water and 1.4 million people, particularly in eastern Ukraine, of access to any water supply. Separately, it was reported, including by the governor of Donetska oblast, that shelling on 16 May had caused a massive explosion at a warehouse near Izium in neighbouring Kharkivska oblast – a warehouse housing ammonium-nitrate, typically used in fertilizers and explosives. He added that while the explosion, which produced a huge column of reddish-coloured smoke, did not pose any immediate health risks to residents, an environmental assessment was being carried out.

Food security

Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reported that at least 400-500 thousand tons of grain worth some US$100 million were seized from farmers in areas of the country that are currently not controlled by the Government of Ukraine. The Ministry said that such actions only contribute to the food insecurity brought on by the war. It further said that, according to unconfirmed reports, the grain is illegally being transported by ship for sale abroad.

Meanwhile, according to the World Food Programme (WFP), before the war, most of the food produced by Ukraine – enough to feed 400 million people – was exported through the country’s seven Black Sea ports. In the eight months before the war began, close to 51 million tons of grain passed through them, WFP says. Recognizing how the closure of Ukraine’s seaports affects food security globally, WFP called for the immediate reopening of Black Sea ports – including Odesa (Odeska oblast, south) – so that critical food from Ukraine can reach people in dire need in countries affected by humanitarian crises.

Impacts on economics

On 17 May, the report Ukraine: Joint Market Monitoring Initiative - April 2022 was published by the REACH Initiative, providing information on price trends and market functionality indicators in Ukraine. The authors explain that, given the mass displacement and humanitarian crisis resulting from the war and further given the prominence of multipurpose cash as a modality for assistance, market monitoring is key to ensuring that humanitarian intervention is effective, sustainable and does not harm local economic systems. Consequently, the Joint Market Monitoring Initiative – conducted in partnership with the Ukraine Cash Working Group – seeks to fill the current information gap by providing timely data on price trends and market functionality indicators. Categories in the report include a range of related topics, including people’s ability to access shops and markets, prices for a typical “food basket,” the functioning of banks and payment methods accepted. More details from the report are provided under the Cluster sections below.

Impacts on humanitarian actors

ODI – Humanitarian Policy Group has published the report Navigating Humanitarian Dilemmas in the Ukraine Crisis, outlining the many wide-ranging challenges humanitarian actors face due to the war and its impacts. Those challenges, the report outlines, range from the shifting and escalating nature of the hostilities around the country, civilian casualties, the massive displacement, increases in commodity prices, food insecurity, the loss of basic services, including energy, and attacks on health care. The report goes on to detail how humanitarian needs and the ability to respond to them vary according to context, including fighting in contested areas of the country, conditions in non-Government-controlled areas, the influx of IDPs into certain areas of Ukraine, and neighbouring countries’ capacity to host millions of refugees.

Displacement

Continued hostilities and deteriorating conditions have continued to fuel displacement across Ukraine while the possibility of organizing evacuations from some of the hardest-hit areas remained limited. Between 11 and 17 May, at least 1,000 people were reported to have been evacuated around the country, including on 14 May, when a convoy of 1,000 vehicles reportedly arrived in Zaporizhzhia (Zaporizka oblast) after having travelled from Mariupol. During the reporting period, there were also reports of continued efforts to evacuate civilians from other parts of Donetska oblast and from Luhanska oblast (east), though they were not always possible because of intense fighting. Between 14 and 17 May, more than 100 people were reportedly evacuated from Luhanska oblast, including over 70 on 17 May. The UN cannot verify the number of evacuated people.

On 16 May, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) published the results of an area baseline assessment conducted between 15 and 30 April of 75 hromadas hosting internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Lvivska and Zakarpatska oblasts in western Ukraine to gather initial trends on the number of registered IDPs.The assessment contains information on almost 170,000 arrivals to the two western oblasts, with the majority of people arriving from Donetska, Kyivska and Kharkivska oblasts. IOM explains such assessments support the targeting and provision of humanitarian assistance.

As of 17 May, the estimated number of people displaced by the ongoing war stands at 14.3 million. According to UNHCR, over 6.3 million people have crossed into neighbouring countries to date. The majority of people have crossed into Poland (nearly 3.4 million), followed by Romania (over 930,000 people) and the Russian Federation (over 860,000). Earlier, IOM reported that 8 million people were displaced internally as of 3 May. Separately, the Russian Federation reported that, since 24 February, more than 1.3 million people, including more than 227,000 children, have crossed into its territory. The UN does not have the means to verify the reported number of people who crossed international borders reported by the UN Member States.

Protection

170,761 people have received targeted protection assistance at border crossing points, online and in locations where people have fled. This includes protection counselling and services, including psychosocial support and legal aid. The overall figure includes some 72,250 people who received protection information, support or counselling; over 56,550 people who received information and counselling through hotlines; over 17,550 people who received legal counselling or assistance; over 15,350 people who received psychosocial support or psychological first aid;more than 5,350 who received social support. This is in addition to some 2,075 protection monitoring missions.

UNHCR also provides protection information and counselling and replies to individual inquiries by email and telephone, responding to approximately 250 emails and 100 calls a day.

On 12 May, UNHCR conducted monitoring visits to four accommodation centres in Poltava Oblast as well as a telerehabilitation centre accommodating persons with impaired mobility. UNHCR carried out needs assessments focusing on shelter and long-term solutions for IDP housing. On the same day, UNHCR with the Government Commissioner of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities carried out visits and assessments in Solotvyno and Tiatichiv (Zakarpattia Oblast). Efforts will be made to support the facilities to provide appropriate care, medical supplies and domestic items.

UNHCR Partner NEHEMIA began classes for displaced children and youth in seven temporary accommodation centres in Uzhhorod, with some 140 to 320 displaced children and youth participating each week.

Multipurpose Cash Assistance

Since the beginning of cash enrolment in Ukraine on 17 March, 331,000 people have been enrolled by UNHCR to receive cash assistance and 166,630 of them have received their first payments.

Cash enrolment continues in 11 oblasts – Cherkasy, Chernivtsi, Dnipropetrovsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnytskyi, Lviv, Poltava, Ternopil, Vinnytsia, Zakarpattia and Zaporizhzhia.

An interactive Cash Working Group dashboard showing overall progress can be accessed here. A cumulative 655,000 people have received cash assistance through all 16 Cash Working Group partners.

Core Relief Items

To date, 422,130 people have benefitted from core relief items and food assistance across eastern, central and western Ukraine. This includes some 82,500 people who received food assistance and 24,000 who received emergency shelter assistance; the remaining 315,500 people received core relief items or winter clothes.

UNHCR, as part of interagency humanitarian convoys, has reached some 68,200 people in the hardest hit areas with life-saving assistance since the beginning of the war. Access to the hardest hit areas remains extremely challenging with continuing security risks, both for affected civilians as well as humanitarian actors.

Last week, UNHCR delivered 1,000 mattresses, blankets and solar lamps as well as 455 hygiene kits for people in bomb shelters in Kharkiv. UNHCR and partner Proliska also distributed hundreds of blankets, solar lamps, mattresses, towels and hygiene kits for people in both Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast as well as in the Lviv area.

So far, UNHCR has supported 163 reception centres and collective centres run by the Government to increase their capacity to host IDPs. A total of 46,488 additional sleeping spaces at these centres have so far been created.

REGIONAL UNHCR KEY FIGURES

Hungary

• Over 7,900 people provided with protection support by UNHCR and partners including legal information provision, counselling and psychosocial support (since 21 March)

• 1 Blue Dot operational

• 685 persons provided with hot meals and core relief items

• 1,333 people trained on protection, child protection, GBV, safe disclosure and referrals, PSEA

Protection

UNHCR and partners Cordelia, Hungarian Helsinki Committee (HHC), Menedék and Next Step have provided information, counselling, psychosocial support and protection referrals to over 7,900

refugees at Záhony train station, help/info points and temporary shelters across the country.

This includes 283 persons provided with legal counselling and information on temporary protection

by UNHCR at Záhony and 110 referrals made by UNHCR for persons with specific needs or vulnerabilities since 1 May.

Since 25 February, 1,333 persons have been reached through capacity development trainings and initiatives by UNHCR and partners focusing on protection, including volunteers, partner staff, humanitarian workers, caregivers and authorities. Protection training focused on legal protection, child protection, GBV and PSEA

UNHCR met with the counter-trafficking focal point within the Ministry of Interior (MoI) to explore areas for mutual cooperation. The MoI in coordination with the Prime Minister’s Office has printed 250,000 leaflets informing on the risk of human trafficking and on available services provided by key humanitarian actors. The MoI is also updating an information booklet developed for humanitarian actors and volunteers to facilitate identification and support to victims of trafficking.

At the Protection Working Group led by UNHCR on 12 May, staff briefed humanitarian partners on the recently launched grant programme for refugee-led organizations, including for GBV-specific projects. UNHCR also disseminated the finalized GBV referral pathways to all partners for their use and further dissemination, to improve awareness and access to relevant services for GBV survivors.

UNHCR partner Cordelia Foundation assisted 82 refugees (including 37 children) in temporary shelters in Budapest and Győr, providing individual and group therapy, as well as psychodrama therapy for those experiencing symptoms of distress and trauma associated with the conflict.

UNHCR in Hungary continues to expand partnerships to enhance access to protection and support services for refugees. In May, UNHCR signed partnerships with ULE association with a focus on identifying both medium and longer-term accommodation through “solidarity housing” and subsidized rent, in addition to social support and employment counselling; with NANE association for activities including capacity-building for frontline staff and volunteers—notably interpreters and health staff—as well as development and of information materials focusing on GBV and prevention; and with Hungarian Baptist Aid for activities including employment counselling, child protection and education assistance, and integration support including identifying longer-term shelter.

Core Relief Items

UNHCR is preparing to deliver 8,064 blankets currently in stock in its warehouse in Hungary to Ukraine.

Between 25 April - 15 May, UNHCR partner Next Step provided hot meals and core relief items to some 685 refugees while undertaking basic needs assessments.

Moldova

• 50,012 people have received multipurpose cash assistance as of 17 May from a target of 150,000 people

• 1,302 refugees departed to Austria, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Spain as part of the EU Solidarity Platform

• 7 Blue Dots operational, 7,961 refugees have been supported at the Blue Dots so far 50,000+ received protection information through distributed materials

• 10,725 refugees received protection support via UNHCR-managed Green Line helpline

Protection

There are currently seven Blue Dots operational in Moldova. Some 7,961 people (more than 50 per cent children) received support provided by UNHCR, UNICEF and partners at Blue Dot centres.

There are Protection Desks at each of the 8 cash enrolment centres in Moldova. When refugees are enrolled for cash assistance, persons with specific needs are identified by the Protection Desk staff. Protection Desk and enrolment staff also provide home visits for people with reduced mobility.

To date, 260 frontline partner, government and NGO staff have been trained on GBV safe disclosure and referral to increase access to support. Comprehensive GBV referral pathways have been developed, shared and continue to be updated based on service mapping for all regions.

UNHCR is co-leading the GBV sub-working group alongside UNFPA which includes 43 participant

organizations, government institutions, and agencies. UNHCR and UNFPA conducted a training for 17 representatives from different humanitarian sectors on GBV safety audit tools for identifying risks. The adapted tools will be rolled out in the next weeks jointly with all sectors, in order to produce GBV mainstreaming plans per sector.

In order to ensure access to information, UNHCR partner ACTED continues to distribute SIM cards to new arrivals at border crossing points and refugee accommodation centres. To date, some 3,141 refugees have received SIM cards. ACTED is also installing WIFI at key locations. WIFI is already operational at Criuleni, Edinet and Floresti, while 17 new locations have been identified for the installation of network equipment.

UNHCR partners LCA, ACTED and INTERSOS are stationed at border crossing points and refugee

accommodation centres to provide transportation, protection monitoring, vulnerability screening and counselling. A total of 48 refugee accommodation centres are regularly monitored and issues followed up by protection partners.

Multipurpose Cash Assistance

Some 50,012 refugees have been enrolled and issued bank cards for multipurpose cash assistance in Moldova since 25 March. Some 92% of those receiving cash assistance are female headed households. So far, eight enrolment centres are operational, with mobile teams covering other locations or reaching those with specific needs.

Poland

• 86,068 refugees enrolled for multipurpose cash assistance as of 17 May from a target of 360,000 people

• 9 Blue Dots operating and 7,641 refugees have been supported at the Blue Dots as of16 May

• 1.6 million visits and over 3.5 million views of the UNHCR Poland Help PageOver 80,000 leaflets and materials with antitrafficking messages distributed to raise awareness

Protection

There are currently 9 Blue Dots operating in Poland, including three in Warsaw, two in Krakow, two in Rzeszow, one in Poznań, and the latest in Gdynia which opened on 17 May. A total of 7,641 people has been counselled through the Blue Dots as of 16 May. Protection teams provided 4,161 interventions and over 1,526 referrals at the Blue Dots. Most people enquired about health and medical services, transport and financial support or cash assistance. Most interventions included the provision of information and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), while referrals were to protection/social services, medical and mental health services.

Significant efforts continue to be made towards raising awareness on trafficking in coordination with La Strada International. Posters, banners, and over 80,000 pieces of information, education and communication (IEC) materials have been distributed at border crossing points and reception centres with anti-trafficking messages to raise awareness of immediate. Materials are also circulated via Telegram and UNHCR social media.

Last week 2022, UNHCR organized a 3-day training on child protection and best interest procedures for UNHCR staff and partners. The training was attended by 28 participants from diverse organizations, including NGOs, UNICEF and UNHCR.

The UNHCR Poland Help page continues to be the most visited UNHCR Help country site globally. It has surpassed 1.6 million visits and has almost reached 3.5 million views, with some 120,000 visitors from Ukraine. Most visitors access the site from a mobile device. The Help site has been updated with additional health and MHPSS-related content and contacts and key GBV referral numbers and services. UNHCR also launched its child-friendly page on the Help page.

Ukrainian refugees continue to register for a PESEL (Polish ID number) to access to services. As of 15 May, according to Poland’s Office for Foreigners, 1,096,827 Ukrainian nationals have registered for the national PESEL number allowing them access services such as health and social support; 47% of those who registered are children and 72% are female.

Multipurpose cash assistance

As of 17 May, 86,068 persons (41,424 families) have been enrolled for cash assistance in Poland through five cash enrolment centres in Warsaw, Krakow, Poznań and Ostróda. Preparation for launching additional centres also continues, with trainings for staff in Gdynia ongoing this week.

In Poznan, at the newly established cash enrolment centre, an agreement was reached with ‘Orange’ to establish a presence outside the enrolment centre and provide free SIM cards to refugees.

Romania

• Over 3,700 refugees enrolled for cash assistance as of 17 May from a target of 80,000people

• Some 15,700 refugees provided with information and counselling in person or over the phone

• 7 Blue Dots operating in Romania

• Over 10,600 people supported to travel to Romania from Moldova through fast-track transfers

Protection

UNHCR continues to provide protection information and counselling in person as well as through hotlines. As of 15 May, over 15,700 people have received protection support, advice, referrals and information in person or remotely through helplines, including almost 400 people in the past week.

UNHCR and partner staff are working at the eight border crossing points. Information requested largely focuses on legal status, notably temporary protection, cash assistance, transportation to other EU countries, long-term accommodation and food, employment, education and access to medical services.

There are currently seven Blue Dots operating in Romania. With the support of UNHCR partner the

Romanian National Council for Refugees (CNRR), legal advice/counselling is provided at the Light Blue Dots at Albita border crossing point and Huși transit area. Plans are ongoing to establish a Blue Dot with the full package of services at the new UNHCR cash enrolment site in Bucharest.

On 13 May, UNHCR conducted a comprehensive protection training focusing on child protection, GBV, AAP and PSEA The training was appreciated by the Government and was attended by 46 participants from Government authorities, NGO partners, volunteers and refugees in Suceava. The same training will be conducted for Maramureș and Satu Mare next week, and for Iași and Galați in the near future

GBV Referral pathways, which include information on some 21 NGOs and three governmental institutions, have been finalized and shared with all protection actors to enhance access to information and protection services including psychosocial support for those in need of GBV services and support. These referral pathways will be widely disseminated in order to ensure access to specialized services for survivors of GBV.

UNHCR and IOM continue to jointly facilitate fast track transfers from Palanca border crossing point

with Ukraine, in Moldova, to Huși, Romania. As of 16 May, over 10,600 people had been transported to Romania through this mechanism.

Multipurpose Cash Assistance

As of 17 May, over 3,700 persons have been enrolled to receive multipurpose cash assistance, of whom over 90% are women and children. More than 2,000 refugees have already received their first payment.

As of 15 May, some 7,000 families have requested appointments since the launch of the online appointments tool on 29 April 2022. UNHCR is currently adding additional cash assistance enrolment staff. The programme is being scaled up to reach a total of 80,000 people. UNHCR will open additional enrolment sites in Bucharest, Brasov, Galati, Iasi and Suceava.

Slovakia

• 2 Blue Dots operating in Slovakia

• 1,402 refugees enrolled for cash assistance as of 17 May from an enrolment target of 57,500 people, of which UNHCR will support 34,500 people

• Over 240 frontline workers trained on GBV, safe disclosures and referrals

UNHCR is training supervisors and key partner staf coordinating Protection Desks to improve protection response at border crossing points and other locations. “Training of trainers” sessions were held in Bratislava on 9 May, and in Kosice on 11 May. Protection Help Desks have been set up to support frontline workforce in addressing legal protection needs and manage protection incidents. The broader Protection Monitoring exercise will be rolled out as of 16 May.

Access to reliable information and inclusion of refugees is a key priority. A workshop on accountability to affected populations (AAP) was held for partner staff, government actors and other UN agencies to create a common understanding and develop concrete actions to be taken across sectors.

UNHCR continues protection monitoring at border crossing points and at registration centres, including Ubľa, Vyšné Nemecké and Velke Slemence border crossing points, and registration centres in Humenne and Michalovce. UNHCR partner Slovak Humanitarian Council (SHC) operates in four registration centres (Humenné, Michalovce, Nitra and Žilina), supporting cash enrolment, identifying refugees with specific needs and referring refugees to relevant services.

UNHCR has trained more than 209 border police officers and frontline authorities in eastern Slovakia on GBV response, safe disclosures and referrals, as well as child protection and PSEA. Furthermore, more than 36 partner staff were also trained specifically on GBV risks and vulnerabilities and referrals.

Multipurpose Cash Assistance

To date, 1,402 people have been enrolled for cash assistance since cash enrolment began on 2 May. It is ongoing at four registration centres (Bratislava, Michalovce, Nitra and Žilina). Of the enrolment target of 57,500, UNHCR will support payments for 34,500 people and UNICEF will support payments for the other 23,000 people.

FAITH AND INTERNATIONAL

COMMUNITY RESPONSE

https://reports.unocha.org/en/country/ukraine/

European Union contributes EURO 9 million to bolster UNICEF’s lifesaving work for nearly 870,000 children

affected by war in Ukraine

Link: https://www.unicef.org/ukraine/en/press-releases/european-union-contributes-euro-9-million-bolster-unicefs-lifesaving-work-nearly

UNICEF is set to expand urgently needed services for children in Ukraine – including health, nutrition, water and sanitation, education, child protection and cash assistance – thanks to a new commitment of EURO 9 million from the European Union (EU).

The funding will support critical services for children and families, including access to health care, safe water and hygiene, child protection, education and multi-purpose cash support.

“Every day this brutal war continues, children’s needs increase across the country,” said Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director. “This generous support from the European Union will help UNICEF reach more children with critical lifesaving services that they urgently need.”

“This unjustified war has ripped Ukrainian children from their homes. Instead of being at schools, they are now trapped in bomb shelters or displaced,” said Janez Lenarčič, EU Commissioner for Crisis Management. “The European Union remains committed to provide immediate support to the children of Ukraine. As one of the most vulnerable groups, they need our protection urgently. Together with humanitarian partners like UNICEF, we ensure that lifesaving assistance reaches those most in need,” added Lenarčič.

At least 3 million children need urgent humanitarian assistance inside Ukraine. The impact of the war is particularly acute for children stuck in active areas of fighting, children with disabilities, and unaccompanied and separated children.

The European Union funding to UNICEF will ensure that:

• 441,000 people receive improved access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services.

• Nearly 6,000 children from vulnerable families will receive multipurpose cash assistance, which will also be reinvested into the local economy.

• 20,000 children and mothers can access improved health care through maternal and neonatal services, mobile health clinics, routine immunization and micronutrient supplements for infant and young feeding.

• 45,000 children, including those on the move, children in institutions and / or with disabilities, receive protection support through case management, psychosocial first aid, referrals to specialized care, family tracing for unaccompanied children and information on the prevention of sexual abuse and exploitation.

https://www.thecatholicnetwork.co.uk/visit-to-ukraine-allowed-me-to-to-touch-the-wounds-of-the-ukrainian-people-and-hear-their-passionate-plea-for-peace-says-archbishop-paul-gallager/

Seeing scenes of a war on television is one thing, “touching this reality is another,” Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, Vatican foreign minister, said in Ukraine.

“I want to show support and solidarity, also in the name of the Holy Father,” the archbishop told Vatican Media while in Lviv.

During his May 18-20 visit to Lviv, Kyiv and surrounding suburbs, Archbishop Gallagher met with bishops from the Latin- and Eastern-rite Catholic churches as well as with local and national government officials.

Before meeting May 20 in Kyiv with Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, he visited Resurrection Cathedral with Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych, head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, and went to the nearby towns of Vorzel, Irpin and Bucha, where he prayed at the site of a former mass grave. Russian soldiers who occupied the town in March have been accused of committing war crimes there.

“Heavenly Father, in your mercy we ask you to grant peace to all those who for some time were buried in this place,” he prayed. “We call upon you to change hearts, convert hearts, so that horrors like this may be always avoided and that the hearts of men may turn toward you and turn to each other in a spirit of understanding, a spirit of wishing to consolidate peace in this land of Ukraine and throughout the world.”

“This is heartbreaking,” he told Vatican Media. “It is a horror because these things were done by men to other men, and done gratuitously, done to civilians, done in a completely barbaric way. And that really is a horror. We are witnesses of this, the suffering and the martyrdom of this country.”

At a news conference with Kuleba, Archbishop Gallagher said his visit was meant to demonstrate the closeness of the pope and the Vatican to the Ukrainian people, “particularly in light of Russia’s aggression.”

Pope Francis and his closest collaborators “suffer greatly for the many deaths, violence of all sorts, the devastation of cities and infrastructure, the separation of so many families and the millions of displaced people and refugees,” the archbishop said in his introductory remarks, which were shared by the Vatican press office.

The ongoing conflict makes everyone sadly aware of their limited ability to find “immediate ways to end this senseless conflict,” he said. “Faith in God and in humanity, however, compels us to persevere in the pursuit of peace through prayer, words and deeds and not to succumb easily to the enormous challenges.”

The visit, he said, allowed him “to touch the wounds of the Ukrainian people and hear their passionate plea for peace.”

Archbishop Gallagher thanked the government, the Catholic churches and their Caritas organizations and Ukraine’s other churches and religions for their “commitment to peace and solidarity” and he said he prayed “the combined efforts of the entire world will soon put an end to destruction and death.”

With Maksym Kozytsky, governor of the Lviv region, on May 18 the archbishop visited internally displaced people who have been offered shelter at the Church of St. John Paul II in the village of Sokilnyky, outside Lviv.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February, the parish has hosted more than 1,500 seeking safety from the fighting.

When the archbishop visited, 120 displaced people were living there. They greeted him holding signs with the names of the cities they left to show how many villages, towns and cities have been impacted by Russia’s attacks.

“I want to express our solidarity with the people of Ukraine,” the archbishop told them. “The Holy Father sends you his blessing. He is very well aware of what is happening in your country. He knows that you are a strong and united people.”

Amid continuing calls by many Ukrainians for Pope Francis to clearly denounce Russia and President Vladimir Putin by name, Vatican Media reported that Archbishop Gallagher told the civil leaders in Lviv: “The pope has a universal mission. He has to take into consideration all peoples at all times and seek their good.”

However, he said, the pope is “trying to be as forceful as he can to defend the Ukrainian people, to point out the fact that they have their freedom, that the integrity of this country has been transgressed.”

“The Holy See remains completely committed to the territorial integrity of Ukraine. That is our bottom line,” he said.

In an interview with Vatican Media May 19, the archbishop said Pope Francis and the Vatican are willing to do anything they can to promote an end to the war.

“The Holy See continues its diplomatic activity with contacts with the Ukrainian authorities and also, through the embassy of Russia to the Holy See, we have some contact with Moscow,” he said.

The Vatican also continues to encourage people and organizations to send humanitarian aid and to remind the international community that people continue to suffer in Ukraine.

“Unfortunately, in every conflict — we have seen it also in Syria or in Lebanon with the many problems it has had — after a while fatigue takes over even in supporting a people in distress,” he said. So, the pope is continuing his initiatives, his moments of prayer and his public appeals for peace.

Visiting Catholic parishes and monasteries hosting displaced people and hearing about all the assistance Caritas is providing to victims of the war, the archbishop said, shows how the Catholic Church in Ukraine “identifies completely with its people and seeks to respond to their needs and to help not only Catholics but also members of other religions.”

Meeting the people, he said, “I see their tension and insecurity because they do not know what will happen in the future.”

IASC Reference Group on Mental Health and

Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings

MHPSS humanitarian response in Ukraine and

affected countries

Dear colleagues,

Very warm greetings.

In this week's communication you can find several resources recently released, together with information on the overall response, and information regarding our calls.

The mapping shared this week contains, in addition to the information provided by partners, updated contacts for several of the MHPSS groups at country level.

We continue to encourage organisations to link at country and regional level with the MHPSS TWGs, while supporting the coordination of the global mapping and promotion of best practices. Thank you once more for your invaluable inputs.

With warm regards,

Carmen, Fahmy and the MHPSS.net team

Mapping of activities by partners and member organisations

We are sharing the latest version of the mapping of agencies responding in Ukraine and affected countries, with information updated as of 20 May 2022. Please note the inclusion of new contact information for co-chairs of the MHPSS TFs and WGs in Hungary, Slovakia and Romania.

We thank all organisations for your ongoing support in providing regular information, and we encourage them to continue to submit their agency's activities and contact information to Valeria Florez at valeria@mhpss.net and Carmen Valle at mhpss.refgroup@gmail.com.

All partners and agencies are strongly recommended to connect with the MHPSS TWGs in Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Rumania, and Moldova for direct coordination, information on country level implementations and access to relevant information.

You can continue to find updated information from the Ukraine TWGs here.

The one-pager info Sheets of the MHPSS TWGs in the Refugee Response, with key information on their work can be found here for Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and for Poland in English and in Polish

General updates and information.

Please find below links to key OCHA's Weekly Update with products, infographics and interactive dashboards that were published between 10 and 16 May 2022.

Interactive dashboards, maps and snapshots

• Humanitarian Response: Estimated People Reached (as of 12 May 2022)

• Humanitarian Supplies and Pipeline (as of 12 May 2022)

• 5W - Operational Presence Map (as of 12 May 2022)

• 2022 Flash Appeal Funding Snapshot (as of 16 May 2022)

• Operational presence dashboard at oblast level

• Operational presence dashboard at hromada level

• Multipurpose cash dashboard

• Humanitarian contact list

Situation reports

• Humanitarian Impact Situation Report (as of 19 May 2022)

For more information on ongoing appeals, situation reports, guidelines, maps and infographics, and more visit OCHA's Ukraine portal

And for the latest figures on refugees in affected countries, visit UNHCR's Operational Data Portal

Recurrent Global Call of the IASC MHPSS Reference Group

In agreement with partners, it has been decided to organise the Ukraine and affected countries calls monthly for the next period. The country teams continue to organise weekly coordination calls and multiple activities, which are the priority at this point.

The monthly calls will be thematic. Next call, to be held in June, will have a thematic focus on Older Adults.

The day, time and connection details of the call will be announced in next week's communication.

Resources

The following Polish IASC translations are released now:

• Checklist for Field Use

• Referral Guidance Note

• Basic Psychosocial Skills

The IASC MHPSS Guidelines, Assessment Guide and Advocacy Package are also translated and the links will be shared shortly

IMC has finalised their 2022 Ukraine MHPSS Rapid Situational Analysis for your access and dissemination.

WHO's recently launched online course Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergencies is now available in Polish and Ukrainian.

This free course presents how to apply existing practical, evidence-based, scalable tools and practice-led approaches for the successful implementation of projects to strengthen Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in emergencies – all based on WHO, IASC and Sphere Handbook content. The online orientation is designed to strengthen the competencies of humanitarian actors working in emergencies to establish, support and scale-up MHPSS in emergency responses.

We will be sharing soon an updated version of the MHPSS in Ukraine and neighbouring countries resources package from the IASC MHPSS RG, containing recently translated resources and messages.

All the resources that have been shared until now continue to be available via MHPSS.net in the Emergency briefing kit for the MHPSS Response in Ukraine and affected countries, and in the Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Group.

Please continue to share resources with Valeria (valeria@mhpss.net) and Carmen (mhpss.refgroup@gmail.com)