6 months of war in Ukraine
6 months of war in UkraineEurope and Central Asia (ECA) Regional Office Report https://www.unicef.org/ After six months of devastation and displacement for the people of Ukraine, it is children who are suffering the deadly consequence of a brutal war not of their making. In areas across eastern and southern Ukraine, they continue to be caught in the crossfire of ongoing hostilities, while schools, hospitals, and other civilian infrastructure on which they depend continue to be damaged or destroyed. In the central and western parts of the country, children and their families have had to flee their homes, their lives uprooted and access to learning and essential services disrupted. In any situation of conflict and displacement, children face increased risks of violence, exploitation and separation from family. The services and support on which they rely safe places to play and learn, health care and clean water, warm clothes and shelter are no longer functional, available or are destroyed. The war in Ukraine is no exception. Yet while children now need protection and support more than ever, access to child and social protection, health, education and water and sanitation services has been severely reduced by the conflicts destructive path. The war has also caused enormous mental distress for children, who have witnessed family and friends killed and injured, their homes, schools and neighbourhoods shelled and burnt to the ground. Six months into this brutal conflict, children continue to live with fear, anxiety and the grief of losing loved ones, separation from family, forced displacement from their homes, isolation, and complete upheaval of their childhoods. The impact on children is not limited to those still in Ukraine. Since 24 February this year, we have seen displacement on a scale and speed not seen since World War II. An estimated 6.9 million Ukrainians, most of them women and children, are refugees in Europe. Children and women on the move are at high risk of violence, abuse, trafficking, and sexual and labour exploitation as they seek safety far from home. Protection remains a major concern, including identifying and caring for large numbers of unaccompanied and separated children and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children evacuated from state residential institutions and boarding schools in Ukraine. Ukraines refugee children face multiple challenges and need access to learning, social protection, healthcare and other essential services. Impact of war This war has been devastating for children, who desperately need peace, and a return to their normal lives. We must work together to protect them, keep them safe, and help them learn, heal and recover. Until the end of this war and beyond, we must stand with Ukraines children. Priyanka Chopra JonasUNICEF Goodwill Ambassador IMP AC T O F W AR On 25 July 2022, 9-year-old Margaryta stands in a damaged classroom at the school in Buzova, Ukraine, which was heavily impacted by hostilities in February and March 2022. The school was hit by shells and rockets a total of 14 times. UNICEF/UN0678687/Filippov 2 Funds receivedagainst Pillar I$599.3 M Fund receivedagainst Pillar II $356.7 M Funding gapPillar I $23.3 M US$949million The destruction caused by thiswar cannot be overstated: 5.5millionchildren in need (inside and outside Ukraine) attacks on healthcareii 60%of schools deemed safeand eligible to reopeniii Less than 972children killed or injuredi = 1 child 17.7millionpeople in need across Ukraine 6.9millionrefugees recordedacross Europe 7millioninternally displacedinside Ukraine = 100,000 people 495 UNICEF was in Ukraine before the war escalated, and in the weeks and months since, our teams have stayed and delivered. We have been a longstanding, credible and trusted partner in many countries across Europe, and have scaled up our operations and presence to support governments to respond to the unprecedented needs of refugees fleeing Ukraine. We stand with all children in Ukraine and will continue supporting them through this war and beyond. And while these challenges may seem unsurmountable, with the most rapid mobilization of international assistance on record, we have seen what is possible when we come together in solidarity and partnership. The support we have seen thus far for the ongoing Ukraine emergency has demonstrated the type of humanitarian response that is needed, and it must continue for all children caught up in the conflict. Ukraine UNICEF Appeal 2022 US$949 million Funding status as of 22 August (US$956 million) The figures on funds received reported to the FTS may differ for the same period due to exchange rate fluctuations, recovery cost estimates, as well as in process of allocation of flexible funding. The overall funding gap in the appeal may be different as donors may give sector-specific funding, resulting in some sectors being overfunded. The funding gap of US$ 23.2 million remains for Pilar I. i OHCHR Ukraine civilian casualty update on 22 August 2022 ii https://extranet.who.int/ssa/LeftMenu/Index.aspx?utm_source=Stopping%20attacks%20on%20health%20care%20QandA&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=Link_who iii https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/start-uncertain-school-year-four-million-schoolchildren-ukraine IMP AC T O F W AR 3 https://extranet.who.int/ssa/LeftMenu/Index.aspx?utm_source=Stopping%20attacks%20on%20health%20care%20QandA&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=Link_who https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/start-uncertain-school-year-four-million-schoolchildren-ukraine Building on UNICEFs unique position at the nexus of the humanitarian and development sectors, we are partnering with governments, United Nations and international organizations, local organizations, youth groups and communities who are working tirelessly on the frontlines of this response. In Ukraine, we are on the ground and have expanded our presence to 10 locations across the country to meet the immediate humanitarian needs of children and families. We work with 92 government and civil society partners to deliver at scale and reach as many children and families as possible. In Ukraine, UNICEF works with 92 government and civil society partners. In refugee-hosting countries, to respond to the needs of children, we are leveraging partnerships established through longstanding country programmes, relationships with governments, and a strong network of National Committees. UNICEF continues to expand our close relationships with municipal authorities, partner with NGOs and civil society organizations, and develop new multi-country relationships with key networks. We have also worked at pace to establish and scale up capacities to provide support in European Union countries bordering Ukraine. In Poland, for example, partnerships with local municipalities now enable UNICEF to reach more than 700,000 refugee children and women with essential services. In more than 13 refugee-hosting countries, with well-established systems and service provision, UNICEF focuses on policy change and systems strengthening. Our strategic partnerships not only serve the immediate needs of Ukraines children and families, but they also contribute to strengthening national and local child protection systems, expanding pre-school and national education capacities, improving health systems, and integrating refugee children. This enables structural systemic changes that will provide improved support to all children, regardless of their origin, in these countries beyond this emergency. In Poland, through partnerships with municipalities, UNICEF is able to reach over 700,000 refugee children and women with essential services. Results for children response through partnerships RE SU LTS FO R C HIL DR EN On 31 March 2022, a UNICEF warehouse staff member moves supplies inside the UNICEF warehouse in Lviv, Ukraine. UNICEF/UN0619526/Haro 4 KE Y R ES ULT S 5 With UNICEF support,inside and outside of Ukraine UNICEF Goals 4.1millionwomen and children areaccessing primary healthcare Health & NutritionAccess to primary Health Care 77% 1.9millionchildren and caregivers received mental health support Child ProtectionAccess to MHPSS 86% 3.6millionpeople have access to safe water WASHAccess to safe water 96% 1.1millionchildren are accessing education EducationAccess to education 85% 170,456households received cash support Social ProtectionHouseholds reached with hCT 55% Key results UNICEF response in spotlightU NIC EF RE SP ON SE IN SP OT LIG HT In Ukraine, UNICEF continues to deliver at scale and our response is based on zones. In the east (Zone 1), where humanitarian corridors, intense and sustained conflict, and access constraints remain, UNICEF is using rapid response teams and humanitarian convoys; we also engage with municipalities, regional and local administrations and civil society partners to implement our response. Half of all UNICEF supplies are prepositioned in Zone 1 to support children, women and vulnerable people, including the displaced. In the central and western parts (Zones 2 and 3), which have little to no access challenges, we are using the established UNICEF offices and teams, and work with local authorities, national systems and structures. Outside of Ukraine, UNICEF is present in 13 refugee-hosting countries where we are leveraging strategic partnerships with line ministries to deliver or support the provision of critical services and strengthen the capacities of national systems through technical support, advice, policy advocacy and engagement. Refugee response countries Ukraine division zones Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3 8,500 In the last 6 months, more than 1,500 UNICEF trucks delivered more than 8,500 metric tonnes of lifesaving supplies to Ukraine and surrounding countries. metric tonnes of lifesaving supplies 6 Child protection For UNICEF, child protection remains a critical pillar of our response. Inside Ukraine, we continue to deliver child protection services, including psychosocial support, case management, referrals and family reunification. Jointly with the government, we urgently address critical child concerns, including border crossings, evacuations, support for unaccompanied and separated children, prevention of trafficking, and tracking the relocation of children in state custody. A key feature of our work inside Ukraine has been the Spilno (together in Ukrainian) Child Spots, centres for connecting children with child protection services, including mental health and psychosocial support, learning, first aid and referrals for additional health services, and registration for humanitarian cash assistance. To date, 220 Spilno Spots have been established and operate across Ukraine, including 150 outdoor and indoor formats and 70 mobile services. They provide integrated services to an average of 100 children and parents every day. Over 1.7 million children and caregivers inside Ukraine were able to access mental health and psychosocial support. In refugee-hosting countries, our focus is on strengthening national, local and cross-border child protection systems. Together with governments, we build national capacities to identify and provide care to unaccompanied and separated children, prevent violence against children and set up gender-based violence response services. We also work to include children with disabilities, provide alternative care, support vulnerable families, and provide mental health support to parents and caregivers. 234,000 children and families on the move were able to use the services provided by 40 UNICEF/UNHCR Blue Dots in six countries. UNICEF is focusing on building the capacity of border guards and social workers on child protection, prevention of gender-based violence and prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse. The UNICEF-UNHCR Blue Dots, one-stop safe havens equipped to support children and families on the move, provide protection services, including identification of unaccompanied and separated children, family reunification, mental health support, social protection, health, education and early childhood care. To date, 40 Blue Dots have been established across six countries. On 13 June 2022, children play at a UNICEF-UNHCR Blue Dot Safe Space, Protection and Support Hub in Sofia, Bulgaria. Blue Dots provide support and services to children and their families who have fled the war in Ukraine. UNICEF/UN0658129/Maria Milkova UN ICE F R ES PO NS E I N S PO TL IGH T 7 On September 1, Emilia, 7 from Irpen, Ukraine is posing for a photo in front of her new school in Krakow, Poland. UNICEF/UN0697252/Michal Korta EducationInside Ukraine, UNICEF is working with the government and partners to help get Ukraines children back to learning, in classrooms when it is deemed safe, and through online or community-based alternatives if in-person teaching and learning is not possible. Over 760,000 children inside Ukraine were able to access formal and non-formal education. Efforts to get children back to learning include rehabilitating schools, providing mental health and psychosocial support, supplying laptops, tablets, kits and guides to allow young children take part in play-based learning, learning supplies to teachers and students, and guiding children and teachers on how to stay safe during a time of war. In refugee-hosting countries, UNICEF is working closely with the national governments and municipalities to increases the capacities of education systems and expand opportunities for refugee children to be enrolled in schools and pre-schools. This includes access to an online education curriculum; capacitating teachers and early childhood educators with skills to create welcoming, inclusive learning environments that address all childrens learning and developmental needs; initiatives to register and integrate children into local schools, day-cares, nurseries, and kindergartens; support to host country education systems; and working with schools in municipalities with a high concentration of refugees. Over 320,000 Ukraines refugee children have been able to access education outside of Ukraine. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) In Ukraine, UNICEF continues to provide safe water through water trucking, treatment and rehabilitation of water plants. We also work to re-establish water and sanitation facilities and infrastructure in communities, institutions, and elsewhere where people seek shelter. In refugee-hosting countries, considering the capacity of the government and host communities, the WASH response is limited to reception centres with the provision of WASH facilities. Providing WASH supplies to children and families in institutions continues in Ukraine and refugee-hosting countries. Nearly 3.5 million people inside Ukraine were able to access safe drinking water in areas where infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed. Five-year-old Arthur from Mariupol, eastern Ukraine, drinks water. Until quite recently, water was almost inaccessible while he stayed in the bomb shelter in his hometown. In Mariupol, his daily ration was a glass of water and a fragment of cookie. By the time he and his mother Miranda managed to escape the city, the boy was dying of exhaustion. Arthur has stopped talking and smiling. UNICEF/UN0625623/Bundzilo UN ICE F R ES PO NS E I N S PO TL IGH T 8 Health and Nutrition In Ukraine, UNICEF focuses on delivering critical supplies to cover the immediate needs of internally displaced people and supports the establishment of medical stocks to maintain the provision of health services and safe delivery of essential vaccines. UNICEF also provides iron supplements to pregnant and lactating mothers and information on nutrition for families. We build the capacity of national partners and international implementing agencies in infant and young child feeding in emergencies. Inside Ukraine, UNICEF and partners have helped nearly 4 million people to access healthcare. In refugee-hosting countries, the response is centred on immunization to prevent outbreaks of measles and polio and to avoid any barriers to school access. We procure vaccines, provide information to caregivers, and directly support vaccination activities. UNICEF also facilitates access to essential health services for children and women by subsidizing services provided by local health authorities and building additional capacity of health professionals for emergency care and mental health support. We support governments to expand the health workforce to be able to provide services to refugees; and we provide emergency kits, obstetric kits and hygiene kits to ensure availability of adequate services for refugees on the move. Outside of Ukraine, 149,885 children and women have accessed primary health care; 55,000 vaccine doses have been procured. On 31 August 2022 during a trip to Ukraine, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell greets a mother and baby while visiting Zhytomyr Regional Perinatal Centre.Zhytomyr Perinatal Centre is designed to provide services to at least 115 pregnant women simultaneously, with 390 staff members available for professional support. UNICEF/UN0696723/Kulakowskiy UN ICE F R ES PO NS E I N S PO TL IGH T 9 Social Protection The UNICEF social protection response follows a two-track approach: we support national and local governments to include refugee children and families into existing social protection systems and programmes and we expand support where required. In Ukraine, we provide multi-purpose humanitarian cash transfers to vulnerable households with over three children or at least one child with a disability. In refugee-hosting countries, we provide financial assistance to refugees to help them meet their urgent needs. In surveys, refugees consistently identified financial support as a main need, and UNICEFs financial assistance is designed to respond to refugees needs and preferences and leverage the full potential of humanitarian cash transfers. Inside Ukraine, over 600,000 people from households with over three children or at least one child with disability, have received UNICEF-funded humanitarian cash transfers. Outside Ukraine, 37,322 refugee households in Moldova, Slovak Republic, Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia have received humanitarian cash transfers. This programme is about helping families in a crisis do what they believe is best for their children. No one is in a better position to decide how to get the most out of this support than a parent or guardian. Murat Sahin,UNICEF Ukraine Representative Oleksandr (35) with his son Makar (1). A boy was not yet a year old when the war started. He celebrated his first birthday after the village of Dymer in the Kyiv region was released. The money that they received from UNICEF cash programme Spino, was vital for the family as the war had left Annas husband without a job. UNICEF/UN0693240/Boiko UN ICE F R ES PO NS E I N S PO TL IGH T 10 Social Behaviour Change Our social and behaviour change (SBC) response guides, supports and equips country efforts to reach and engage affected children and families in Ukraine, refugees and host communities, and ensure accountability to affected populations. To address misinformation and promote positive messages, UNICEF is leveraging social media and platforms such as Viber, U-Report, and Child Helpline International to reach children and families inside Ukraine and refugee-hosting countries with life-saving information on rights and entitlements, services and how to access them. 5.4 million people have been reached with life-saving messages on their rights and access to critical services. Youth EngagementUNICEF continues mobilizing and orienting young volunteers to support a cross-sectoral response to refugees from Ukraine through the delivery of frontline support, integration and social cohesion, as well as solidarity and resilience building. UNICEFs partnership with World Organisation of Scouts Movement has reached 703,328 children, young people and adults in Poland, Hungary, Moldova, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania, Czech Republic, and Slovakia with information, referral to services, supplies, housing, promotion of U-Report, and educational programmes for youth. More than 10,000 young people have been activated as volunteers to support UNICEFs response efforts. Over 700,000 refugee children and families were supported by youth organizations. To support Ukrainian mothers and primary caregivers in continuing to provide the best care for their young children, UNICEF adapted and translated the Bebbo application, a free mobile app, now available in Ukrainian and Russian, benefitting over 32,500 Ukrainian caregivers across Europe, including all refugee-hosting counties. UN ICE F R ES PO NS E I N S PO TL IGH T 11 18-year-old Rasha relaxes with her family at a UNICEF-supported youth centre in Chisinau, Moldova. UNICEF/UN0687453 We must be ready for what is coming next. With no end in sight for the conflict and displacement and the winter months approaching, we must remain flexible and pivot to meet the most urgent needs of the populations we serve. Continued effective and innovative partnerships across the region will be essential to ensuring Ukraines children are not left out in the cold. The Government of Ukraine projects that an additional 700,000 people will be displaced by the end of the year in the east, bringing the number of internally displaced to an estimated 7.3 million people. UNICEF has started planning for winter to ensure sufficient resources and supplies are in place to support people in need. Our approach considers areas where temperatures might fall to freezing and people are heavily underserved. UNICEFs winter preparedness plan considers all scenarios, including a major deterioration of the humanitarian situation. We will continue to support vulnerable families with multi-purpose cash assistance. As the crisis evolves and the financial burden of winter and the return to school increases, UNICEF will look for additional ways to identify the most vulnerable. We will be supporting 1,000 hub schools that host other schools and internally displaced people and serve 450,000 children and 54,000 teachers with shelter kits, learning materials and cash support. UNICEF will also help rehabilitate hospital shelters and prepare health facilities for the coming winter to provide safe and adequate health care for all children and families in Ukraine. As Ukraine has low immunization rates and has recently experienced outbreaks of polio and measles, UNICEF is making immunization one of its top priorities. We will support the Ministry of Health with vaccine procurement, cold chain equipment, and risk communication. While the UNICEF child protection programme has reached more than 1.7 million children and families, the adverse mental health impact of the war on children is growing quickly. UNICEF Ukraine will ensure that no one is left behind, focusing on children most at risk, such as those residing in institutions. Finally, we will continue supporting vulnerable populations to gain and maintain access to water services, and make sure that children on the move have access to adequate hygiene facilities. Moving forward Unless there is peace, the lives of children and their families in Ukraine are going to get even more challenging as winter approaches. We know freezing temperatures and heavy snowfalls are just months away, which is why UNICEF is working with the government and partners to preposition winter supplies, including warm clothing, shoes, generators, heaters and wood pellets. Catherine RussellUNICEF Executive Director Inside Ukraine MO VIN G F OR WA RD 12 Outside Ukraine, UNICEF has four main priorities for the coming months: we will be focusing on the protection of children, preparedness for winter, return to learning, and preparedness for a potential escalation of the war, which could trigger new large-scale refugee movements. The war remains a child protection crisis and UNICEF will continue to monitor and address issues of unaccompanied and separated children and children from institutional care in refugee-hosting countries. Preventing family separation, ensuring immediate identification, reunification registration, and safe spaces are core elements that will be a key focus of our efforts. Ahead of the harsh winter season in Europe, UNICEF is coordinating with governments and UNHCR in countries to assess accommodation, preposition supplies, and increase the distribution of cash transfers. Through our back-to-learning campaigns ahead of the start of the new academic year, UNICEF is focusing on school preparedness and the successful enrolment of refugee children into schools. Building on our unique position and strong partnerships in the region, UNICEF will continue to implement and scale up the response in child protection, education, health and nutrition, social protection, SBC, and youth engagement until the end of the year and beyond to address existing and emerging needs of vulnerable refugee children and families. Outside Ukraine Although the future remains uncertain for the children of Ukraine, UNICEF will be on the ground to meet immediate needs, deliver services at scale together with governments, NGOs, and civil society, and engage partners to strengthen systems and create sustainable change for all children. MO VIN G F OR WA RD 13 unicef.org United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) September 2022 For every child Whoever she is. Wherever he lives. Every child deserves a childhood. A future. A fair chance. Thats why UNICEF is there. For each and every child. Working day in and day out. In more than 190 countries and territories. Reaching the hardest to reach. The furthest from help. The most excluded. Its why we stay to the end. And never give up. Europe and Central Asia (ECA) Regional Office Afshan Khan Regional Director, ECARO Murat Sahin Representative, Ukraine Country Office Cover: On 16 August 2022 in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Mariia, 12, stands for a portrait in front of the school where she was to enter seventh grade in September. Much of the school was recently destroyed in an air strike, so Mariia will now be studying online when classes resume. UNICEF/UN0689481/Ashley Gilbertson https://www.unicef.org/
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