Weekly Update #61
May 1

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Head of the Kremlin-controlled Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill of Moscow defrocked a Russian Orthodox Church protodeacon who did not support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

Russian Orthodox Protodeacon Andrei Kuraev posted an order dated April 28 defrocking him for “anti-church activities” signed by Patriarch Kirill. The Russian Orthodox Church had previously defrocked Kuraev in December 2020, but Patriarch Kirill imposed a moratorium on the execution of this decision to give Kuraev time to "rethink his position." Kuraev reportedly does not support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or the Russian Orthodox Church’s support for the invasion. Russian authorities fined Kuraev 30,000 rubles for discrediting the Russian military in August 2022 after Kuraev wrote a blog post about the current war in Ukraine. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty additionally reported that Kuraev has criticized the Russian Orthodox Church’s structures and Patriarch Kirill, accusing the Russian Orthodox Church of being distant from its parishioners, bureaucratic, and inert.

Source: ISW

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The presidents of the Czech Republic and Slovakia visited Ukraine on Friday, their first joint visit abroad.

Slovakian President Čaputová said the visit is intended to bring "a message of friendship, solidarity & support," noting that the three countries "share parts of common history." The Czech President Petr Pavel said he would push for accession talks with the European Union to start for Ukraine by the end of the year.  He visited internally displaced people in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro

Source: CNN

THE HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

Pope Francis meets Ukrainian refugees on papal visit to Budapest

Pope Francis met with refugees, many of whom are from Ukraine, and people facing poverty at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church in central Budapest on Saturday morning.

Around 600 people participated in the meeting inside the church, and 1,000 more gathered in the square outside.  During his address, the Pope appealed to the importance of charity and heard testimonies from the refugees. 

“The memory of love received rekindles hope and inspires people to embark upon a new journey in life. Even amid pain and suffering, once we have received the balm of love, we find the courage needed to keep moving forward: We find the strength to believe that all is not lost, and that a different future is possible,” Francis said as part of his address.

Hungary has angered allies since the war in Ukraine began. The country, which shares a border with Ukraine, has refused to back military aid for Kyiv while maintaining relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Pope Francis arrived in Budapest on Friday, beginning his three-day papal visit to Hungary, and met with President Katalin Novák, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and representatives of the clergy. 

In a speech during his first public address of the visit, the Pope urged Hungarians to accept migrants and refugees. Quoting Saint Stephen, he said, "I urge you to show favor not only to relations and kin, or to the powerful and wealthy, or to your neighbors and fellow countrymen, but also to foreigners and all who come to you."

Source:   CNN

Source: UNHCR

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Integrating displaced youth in the social life of the host community

 On 7 April, a Youth Centre was opened in Tyachiv, Zakarpatska oblast by UNHCR’s local NGO partner Neeka and First Deputy Mayor of Tyachiv, to foster social cohesion between displaced people and host communities. The Tyachiv Youth Council will implement activities, such as trainings on project applications and the project management cycle, language clubs, and movie nights. The  centre will also offer support with courses on professional development, as well as opening spaces for networking and implementation of joint activities with the community.

Source:   IOM

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UNICEF delivers 10,000 devices funded by the EU and Korea for Ukrainian schoolchildren 

Some 5,000 tablets for primary school-age children and 5,000 laptops for secondary school-age children financed by the European Union and the Republic of Korea and delivered by UNICEF will be distributed through educational facilities across Ukraine. These supplies will ensure children can continue studying online, where in-person learning has been impossible due to the security situation. The educational devices will be distributed among displaced children, children with disabilities, children from low-income families or deprived of parental care, and other vulnerable boys and girls who do not have devices to connect to their classes.

The delivery comes as part of a 10 million euro funding by the European Union aimed at ensuring access to education for children amid the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Its objective is to support around 680,000 children and 22,000 teachers with safe and accessible learning spaces — offline, where possible, and online.  The Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine highlighted that this initiative helps children’s access to quality education wherever they are, thus  their development towards a prosperous future.  

The Republic of Korea has allocated 4 million dollars to support formal and informal education for children in Ukraine.   The Republic of Korea also donated 6,000 tablets for children in Ukraine as part of theirhumanitarian aid, as noted  by the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Ukraine Kim Hyung Tae.

Only approximately one-third of Ukrainian schools nationwide have been able to offer full-time, in-person learning since September. Consequently, around 3 million children are accessing learning online or through a mixed modality: face-to-face and online.

According to UNICEF, the laptops and tablets will be distributed to children in Dnipropetrovska, Donetska, Zaporizhska, Luhanska, Mykolayivska, Kharkivska, Odeska, Poltavska, Sumska, Chernihivska, Kirovohradska and Khersonska oblasts. The devices will be delivered to the education departments and transferred to children for temporary use.

Earlier, jointly with the Ministry for the reintegration of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, UNICEF started distributing another 10,000 tablets and laptops to children in the newly accessible areas of Kharkivska and Khersonska oblasts of Ukraine. UNICEF has an ongoing 4 million dollars project, “Flash Appeal for the education of Ukraine” , funded by the Republic of Korea that aims to ensure all children have access to education and can fulfill their potential despite the ongoing war.

Source: UNICEF

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Iceland joins global effort to support Ukraine's green energy recovery

The Government of Iceland today pledged US$500,000 to support the rebuilding of Ukraine's energy infrastructure in a way that is both environmentally sustainable and resilient. The funding will be channelled through UNDP's thematic Funding Window for Nature, Climate, and Energy, which supports climate change initiatives and promotes sustainable development.

One of the key aims of the funding is to urgently procure equipment for high-voltage electricity generation -- critical for providing essential services to war-affected populations and sustaining livelihoods and resilience ahead of the next winter season. The relentless attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, ongoing since October 2022, have resulted in significant power cuts and outages nationwide.

UNDP Resident Representative Jaco Cilliers notedthe $500,000 contribution from the Government of Iceland represents an investment in the future of Ukraine and its people.  He added that "A recent damage assessment by the United Nations -- under UNDP's technical leadership -- and in collaboration with the Government of Ukraine, the World Bank, and the European Commission, estimated the cost of covering immediate needs at around US$2.1 billion." 

Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland confirmed Iceland’s unwavering support and solidarity with UNDP and will continue to partner with UNDP in its humanitarian response. UNDP and the Government of Iceland share a longstanding partnership with a common vision on sustainable, green and inclusive recovery and growth.

Source: UNDP

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Japan Contributes $471 Million to the World Bank in Support of Ukraine Relief Efforts

The Government of Japan has announced a grant contribution of $471 million to the World Bank’s Ukraine Relief, Recovery, Reconstruction and Reform Trust Fund (URTF) in support of ongoing relief efforts in Ukraine. This contribution is part of a $5.5 billion pledge Japan made in February to help restore destroyed infrastructure and help the people of Ukraine rebuild their lives. Of this pledge, a $5 billion credit enhancement will back World Bank loans to Ukraine in the coming year.

The URTF is a multi-donor trust fund facility supporting the World Bank’s emergency operations in Ukraine across key sectors including Transport, health, and energy. These projects reflect the country’s relief needs outlined in the updated Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA) released last month and are designed to be adaptable to on-the-ground events while making impacts and disbursing rapidly.

The grant contribution more than doubles the URTF’s funds, bringing the total to over $850 million in resources to support pressing repairs needed for energy infrastructure, roads, bridges, housing, schools, and clinics. The URTF is currently supporting key projects, including the Restoration Project of Winterization and Energy Resources, the Repairing Essential Logistics Infrastructure and Network Connectivity (RELINC) project and the Health Enhancement and Lifesaving in Ukraine (HEAL) project.

In the RDNA, the World Bank estimated that for 2023 Ukraine is facing an additional funding gap of $11 billion for critical economic and capital expenditures.

The URTF was established in December 2022. The Fund aids Ukraine in planning and implementing its recovery, resilient reconstruction, and reform agenda. With the framework approach, the URTF is ensuring that the Ukrainian authorities can leverage multiple sources of financing efficiently and at scale.

Strategic guidance on URTF activities is provided by the Partnership Council. It is co-chaired by the World Bank Group and the Government of Ukraine, with the development partners as members. Contributors to the URTF include Austria, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland. The Program Management Team is responsible for the day-to-day management of URTF’s trustee funds.

Source:   The World Bank

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

In January–February 2023, FAO assessed the impact of the war on agricultural enterprises cultivating up to 250.ha of land. The preliminary results of the analysis reveal the following:

• At the national level, the surveyed agricultural enterprises reported a 9 percent decrease in the cultivated area of grain and oil crops compared to the same period of the previous year. Enterprises along the front-line are the most affected, recording approximately a 20 percent decrease in the size of cultivated area of grains and oil crops.

• Approximately 93 percent of the enterprises involved in crop production reported an increase in production costs, with over two-thirds of them recording Significant/drastic increase of over 25 percent since the start of the war.

• Similarly, around two-thirds (76 percent) of enterprises involved in livestock production reported increases in their production costs, with over half of them (60.percent) recording significant/ drastic increases.  Approximately 12 percent of enterprises reported having part of their land potentially contaminated by unexploded ordnances. Oblasts along the front-line appeared to be the most affected, with over one in every three respondents (32 percent) reporting so. The value of the overall damages and losses for agricultural enterprises is estimated at USD.3.85.billion.in both the crop and livestock sectors.

• The crop sector account for USD 2.71 billion, while the livestock sector account for approximately USD.1.13 billion. These damages and losses amount to approximately USD.147 000 per agricultural enterprise on average, not considering the temporarily occupied territories.

Responses 

FAO and WFP will work jointly on a range of activities on reviving this critical sector.  Key interventions include:

• In April 2023, FAO has provided vouchers to 2,200 households (approximately 6,000 people) from Mykolaivska, Odeska and Sumska oblasts to enable them.to repair livestock shelters. Each household has received a voucher worth USD 300 to purchase tools and building materials for rebuilding or repairing damaged livestock shelters.

• FAO has also started a new agricultural inputs voucher programme targeting rural population in 11 hromadas. of Lvivska oblast, including displaced households, host communities, households who have lost their livelihoods due to the war, and other vulnerable categories. 

This programme will benefit approximately 2,200 households (approximately 6 000 people) with vouchers worth USD 300 each to enable them to purchase agricultural production inputs, including tools, machinery, building materials, seeds and other agricultural inputs. 

By the end of 2023, FAO plans to support over 17,000 rural households and small-scale farmers (approximately 50,000 people) with agricultural inputs, animal health products and construction materials through vouchers.

• FAO has been distributing spring cereal crops seeds to small agricultural enterprises from nine front-line oblasts.  FAO and the World Food Programme (WFP) are launching a new joint project on clearing agricultural plots of 300 ha. or less of mines and other ordnance and then helping farmers restore their livelihoods through the distribution of agricultural inputs and capacity building. The project will be implemented in three phases.

• FAO is identifying eligible food producers for the distribution of 41 generators. As of 19 April 2023, 29 generators have already been transferred to identified bakeries and milk factories in front-line oblasts. Furthermore, FAO will distribute additional 125 generators with capacities ranging from 20 kW to 500 kW to small and medium-sized agricultural producers and agro-processing enterprises in selected sectors.

• FAO is providing technical support to the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection to strengthen the government’s capacity to carry out testing and certification of food commodities for export at border facilities. 

Source:    FAO

HOLY FATHER ON UKRAINE

General Audience - April 26, 2023

E fratelli e sorelle, non dimentichiamo di pregare per la martoriata Ucraina.

Regina Caeli - April 30, 2023 (Apostolic Journey to Hungary)

We now turn to Our Lady. To her, Magna Domina Hungarorum, whom you invoke as Queen and Patroness, I entrust all Hungarians. From this great city and from this noble country, I desire to entrust to her heart the faith and the future of the entire continent of Europe, which has been on my mind in these days and, in particular, the cause of peace. Blessed Virgin, watch over the peoples who suffer so greatly. In a special way, watch over the neighbouring, beleaguered Ukrainian people and the Russian people, both consecrated to you.  You, who are the Queen of Peace, instil in the hearts of peoples and their leaders the desire to build peace and to give the younger generations a future of hope, not war, a future full of cradles not tombs, a world of brothers and sisters, not walls and barricades.

Ci rivolgiamo ora alla Madonna. A lei, Magna Domina Hungarorum, che invocate come Regina e Patrona, affido tutti gli ungheresi. E da questa grande città e da questo nobile Paese vorrei riporre nel suo cuore la fede e il futuro dell’intero Continente europeo, a cui ho pensato in questi giorni, e in modo particolare la causa della pace. Santa Vergine, guarda ai popoli che più soffrono. Guarda soprattutto al vicino martoriato popolo ucraino e al popolo russo, a te consacrati. Tu sei la Regina della pace, infondi nei cuori degli uomini e dei responsabili delle Nazioni il desiderio di costruire la pace, di dare alle giovani generazioni un futuro di speranza, non di guerra; un avvenire pieno di culle, non di tombe; un mondo di fratelli, non di muri.

NEWS

Pope: Holy See will work to return Ukrainian children taken to Russia

Pope thanks Hungarians for welcome, prays for peace in nearby Ukraine

Hungarian Parliamentarian for Ukraine: 'Pope Francis' support gives great hope

Archbishop Gallagher: war ends, even if not as Zelensky or Putin imagine

Archbishop Gallagher: Wars end only through diplomacy and reconciliation

Pope says Vatican involved in secret Ukraine peace mission

Pope meets Ukrainian refugees during visit to Hungary

"We will help the Ukrainian people as long as it is necessary," the Order of Malta assured (Google translate)

IMAGES FROM CR4U MEMBERS