Operational context
Frequent violations of the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine through 2017 continued to cause casualties, with a 6 per cent increase compared to 2016. Furthermore, damage to infrastructure and properties took place mostly along the contact line, with over 1,500 houses damaged in the government controlled areas (GCA) side alone. Increased insecurity continued to hamper humanitarian access, particularly in non-government controlled areas (NGCA) where access remained highly unpredictable. Despite insecurity, some 800,000 people continued to live within 20 kilometres on both sides of the line of contact. Some returns to these areas were witnessed, mainly by people who did not have sufficient resources to continue living in other areas of Ukraine.
Several factors contributed to a sharpening of humanitarian needs for internally displaced and conflict-affected people, despite assumptions that the protection environment would gradually improve; the ongoing armed conflict, restrictions on freedom of movement, imposition of a trade blockade between the GCA and NGCA, difficulties accessing documentation, and continued suspension of social benefits and pensions to thousands of people.
In a positive development, Ukraine adopted a strategy on durable solutions at the end of the year, and UNHCR will contribute to the development of an action plan for its implementation. However, there was little progress on key issues such as payment of pensions and social benefits to people residing in NGCA, making the system of birth registration more responsive to the needs of parents in NGCA, or improving freedom of movement through the checkpoints where queues remained long and conditions remained poor.
Population trends
As of the end of 2017, Ukraine hosted close to 3,260 refugees and some 4,090 asylum-seekers. The majority originate from Afghanistan and Syria, while some 70 other countries of origin are also represented. The number of stateless persons was estimated at some 35,000 at the end of the year.
As of August 2017, the Government had registered more than 1,586,400 IDPs. The UN and humanitarian response partners use a planning figure of 0.8 to 1 million IDPs. In addition, there are some 136,400 Ukrainian refugees and close to 17,800 Ukrainians with their asylum claims pending by the end of 2017 in neighbouring countries and the European Union.
Key achievements
UNHCR, as part of the inter-agency response and in line with the 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), focused on three main objectives: i) advocate for and respond to the protection needs of conflict-affected people with due regard to international norms and standards; ii) provide emergency assistance and ensure nondiscriminatory access to quality essential services for populations in need; and iii) improve the resilience of conflict-affected people, prevent further degradation of the humanitarian situation and promote recovery and social cohesion. In 2017, UNHCR continued to lead the protection cluster and co-led the shelter/NFI cluster.
Against this background, the key achievements of UNHCR’s operation in Ukraine included the following:
- A Multi-year, Multi-partner protection and durable solutions strategy to cover the period 2018-2022 was developed. The strategy foresees different operational approaches in three distinct geographic areas. Along the contact line and in non-Governmental Controlled Areas (NGCA), UNHCR will focus on humanitarian protection. In the rest of Ukraine, UNHCR will concentrate on protection and durable solutions for IDPs while preparing for responsible disengagement, as well as on protection and solutions for refugees and stateless persons.
- Legal assistance was provided to more than 37,700 refugees, stateless persons and IDPs through a network of partner lawyers and advocates operating throughout Ukraine, including in some detention centres. Counselling was provided on a variety of issues, with matters related to the asylum procedure, payment of social benefits and pensions, registration, documentation, freedom of movement and housing land and property rights featuring.
- Authorities were supported in conducting consultations for the development of an IDP durable solutions strategy, which was ultimately adopted at the end of 2017. UNHCR also began to contribute to development actors’ work on establishing an affordable housing project for IDPs.
- A total of 1,170 shelters were repaired (nearly 30% in NGCA) with a breakdown of 423 light repairs, 548 medium repairs, 164 heavy repairs and 34 reconstructions. The repairs targeted vulnerable families who remained in (or planned to return to) houses damaged during the conflict.
- Through a new agreement with the Ukrainian postal service, winter cash assistance (for purchasing fuel for heating) was provided to some 840 people of concern (including 90 people with disabilities) in the last quarter of the year when additional funds became available. In addition, more than 70,700 people benefited from in-kind assistance in 2017, much of it related to winterization (distribution of coal, winter clothing).
- Building on the existing strengths of Ukraine’s civil society, UNHCR also provided support to some 320 community groups engaged in protection and assistance to IDPs and conflict-affected persons. During 2017, 43 ‘quick impact projects’ aiming to promote peaceful coexistence between IDPs and hosting communities were implemented, out of which 25 in the government-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine.
Unmet needs
Access to NGCA remained restricted and constrained the timely delivery of assistance.
Since the beginning of the crisis, 9,000 repairs have been made in NGCAs. Prior to the start of 2017, the conservative estimation in the absence of a systematic verification of damage was between 10,000 and 12,000 houses, while the number could be up to three times higher. In GCAs, the shelter cluster estimates that over 10,000 households, including a backlog of homes damaged in 2015-2016, still require repairs. Between March and August 2017, a flare up in hostilities caused new damage to over 700 houses.
In addition to UNHCR’s capacity-building and advocacy efforts, gaps in meeting humanitarian needs remain.
There is a need for continued support to people with specific needs, primarily through cash assistance. If more funds were available, UNHCR could have assisted an additional 600 people and implement some 20 more ‘quick impact projects’.
Asylum-seekers do not have the right to work in Ukraine, and there are few spaces available in temporary accommodation centers. As a result, most have to find irregular jobs or rely on the very limited financial assistance provided by UNHCR. Due to budgetary constraints, UNHCR is also unable to provide at a larger scale Ukrainian language classes and assistance to employment or other means for self-reliance.