Ukraine

The war in Ukraine continues to inflict immeasurable human suffering, deaths and destruction, putting millions at risk of serious violations and generating grave humanitarian needs.

Thousands of people have been killed, injured, or maimed, including hundreds of children. 

Throughout 2023, fighting and hostilities continued to ravage parts of Ukraine and cause massive damage to civilian infrastructure - homes, schools, hospitals, and water, gas and power systems are repeatedly hit and, in some cases, directly targeted. 

This compounded the widespread destruction that had already decimated essential services across the country, particularly in the east, where people have now endured 10 years of war, caused by Russia’s invasion. 

The war has forced millions to flee and nearly 4 million people – including nearly 1 million children – are still internally displaced across Ukraine, while over 6 million live as refugees abroad. Prolonged displacement has pushed many to the brink, as they depleted their resources and capacity to cope with loss of job or income

Over 14.6 million people – about 40 per cent of the Ukrainian population – will need humanitarian assistance in 2024. The UN-led response aims to reach about 8.5 million people with assistance.

Although the impact of the war remains far-reaching, needs are more acute in the east and the south, close to the front-line. In these areas, including territories under Russian occupation, over 3.3 million people need aid, and the humanitarian situation is reaching levels of extreme and catastrophic severity. Millions of civilians there struggle every day to have adequate access to water, food, health, housing, protection and other essential services and supplies.

 At the same time, assistance to people living in Russian-occupied areas is extremely limited, and in some cases, impossible. Increased support to these people, who desperately need aid, will depend on improved access for humanitarian organizations.

The humanitarian community has worked intensively to carry out life-saving activities in Ukraine in 2023, building upon the major scale up on the response that followed the escalation of the war in 2022. 

Nearly 11 million people received life-saving and life-sustaining assistance from over 500 humanitarian organizations. Aid organizations made efforts to reach the most vulnerable who are exposed to hostilities on a daily basis, increasing assistance in the front-line communities, including through inter-agency convoys.

 In 2024, the response will continue to focus on people with the most severe humanitarian needs across the country, prioritizing those in the front-line communities and neighbouring areas. The most vulnerable displaced people and returnees will also be prioritized.

 The response also seeks to strengthen the centrality of protection and reduce protection risks. To that end, specific protection activities and services will complement health, shelter, food, water, hygiene and sanitation and education interventions. In addition, gender and age-appropriate mental health and psychosocial support will be integrated into sectoral responses, as well as accountability to affected people and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse.