Snapshot
Total affected population: 3.7 million
Total affected children: 580,000
Total people to be reached in 2016: 1.5 million
Total children to be reached in 2016: 400,000
2016 Programme Targets
Nutrition
80,000 pregnant or lactating women reached with infant and young child feeding counselling
Health
400,000 children received regular immunization through the enhancement of cold chain and vaccine distribution systems
2,000 health professionals gained increased knowledge and capacity for the implementation of public health campaigns
WASH
1.2 million conflict-affected people gained access to safe drinking
300,000 most vulnerable people received hygiene supplies
Child protection
400,000 affected children, youth and caregivers received psychosocial support
400,000 children and their families received MRE
Education
300,000 children benefitted from rehabilitated education infrastructure, life-skills training and educational supplies
HIV and AIDS
30,000 pregnant women and children provided with tests for early diagnostic of HIV to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV
Ukraine
The situation in eastern Ukraine remains volatile despite the signing of the Minsk II Agreement in February 2015, the ceasefire agreed to by all parties to the conflict in September 2015 and the progress made towards the de-escalation of the conflict. Some 3.7 million people, including 580,000 children, are currently affected. Children are particularly vulnerable, with families exposed to significant hardship related to protracted and often multiple displacements and the depletion of coping mechanisms and savings. Disruptions in humanitarian access, the limited capacity of local institutions, weak rule of law and restrictions imposed on protection monitoring in non-government-controlled areas have all severely weakened the protective environment. Similarly, 800,000 people, including 100,000 children living near the front line, face daily risks of shelling, mines and unexploded ordnance. Given the interconnectedness of the water supply, central heating systems, electricity supply and sanitation systems, some 2.9 million people are at risk of service disruption due to conflict-related damages or breakdowns. Following a polio outbreak in western Ukraine in September, the Government launched a vaccination campaign aimed at resuming systematic childhood immunization following two years of vaccine supply shortages.
Humanitarian strategy
UNICEF will continue to support 1.5 million conflict-affected people in Ukraine, including 400,000 children, through its six field offices in eastern Ukraine and by engaging with partners operating in conflict-affected areas. UNICEF will work with schools, community centres and through mobile teams to ensure access to services and support the well-being of conflict-affected children, including those in remote areas and at the front lines. A key priority will be the improvement of capacities and systems for monitoring child rights violations. UNICEF will provide life-saving mine risk education (MRE) to populations at risk and will also address deteriorating social cohesion by improving children’s life skills. Access to safe drinking water will be supported for 1.2 million people through the provision of critical treatment chemicals, rehabilitation of infrastructure, provision of alternative sources and provision of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)-related supplies. UNICEF will further promote the basic principles of infant and young child feeding in emergencies and will continue to support the Government’s response to the polio outbreak through the procurement of quality health commodities, including vaccines. UNICEF will continue to lead the WASH and education clusters and the child protection and nutrition sub-clusters, and will contribute to the health cluster and the HIV and AIDS and mine action sub- clusters.
Results from 2015
As of 31 October 2015, UNICEF had received 34 per cent (US$18.9 million) of the US$55.8 million 2015 appeal, in addition to US$2.4 million carried forward from 2014. UNICEF provided safe drinking water to nearly 820,000 people through the provision of critical treatment chemicals and infrastructure reconstruction. Although restricted access to non-government- controlled areas affected UNICEF’s ability to support the well-being of children and their caregivers and protect child rights, UNICEF and local partners continued to reach a limited number of children with psychosocial support and MRE in non-government- controlled areas. In government-controlled areas, psychosocial support was provided to more than 46,000 children and their families. The presence of land mines and unexploded ordnance continues to be a major threat to children’s lives. In response, UNICEF reached nearly 280,000 children with life- saving MRE activities. To increase access to education for most vulnerable conflict- affected children, UNICEF supported the ongoing rehabilitation of 45 damaged schools in Donetsk and Luhansk government-controlled areas. UNICEF also supported the Government’s response to the September polio outbreak in non- government-controlled areas and delivered antiretroviral drugs to 8,000 people living with HIV.