Today, as we approach 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 continues to be damaged or destroyed. With at least 3 million1 children across Ukraine in need of humanitarian assistance, and at least two thirds of them displaced, every child in Ukraine has been affected by this war.
The impact on children is not limited to those still in Ukraine. This war has far-reaching consequences across the region and beyond. As of the end of 2021, the global community was already facing 37 million displaced children, the highest number ever seen, and since 24 February this year we have seen displacement on a scale and speed not seen since the Second World War—with 6.6 million refugees from Ukraine fleeing to Europe, most of them women and children. This has led to the single largest displacement crisis in the world, stretching the global humanitarian architecture even further—at a time when humanitarian actors were already struggling to meet the needs of affected populations from Afghanistan to Somalia, Myanmar to Yemen.
The Ukraine war has also collided with historic-level droughts in the Horn of Africa, sparking growing global hunger, displacement and a dangerous lack of access to safe water, nutrition and health care in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. The brutal war has contributed to driving?world food prices to an all-time high, making nutritious food unaffordable for the poorest families where the spectre of famine is already stalking vulnerable communities, putting additional pressure on the global community to respond to growing malnutrition needs.
To meet the immediate humanitarian needs of children and families in Ukraine, we have expanded our presence on the ground to 10 different locations across the country.
This World Humanitarian Day, aid workers in Ukraine and around the world are facing challenges on a level never seen before, with a key issue?being access to those in need. 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 with today’s cascading crises of conflict, malnutrition, displacement, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and climate crisis. It must be extended to children also impacted by the knock-on effects of the war—from increased fuel costs to sky-rocketing food costs—and it must continue for the children of Ukraine.
Building on the unique position of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) at the nexus of the humanitarian and development sectors, we are partnering with governments, local organizations, youth groups and communities who are working tirelessly on the frontlines of this response. To meet the immediate humanitarian needs of children and families in Ukraine, we have expanded our presence on the ground to 10 different locations across the country. We work with 92 government and civil society partners to deliver at scale and reach as many children and families as possible. For example, thanks to our long-standing presence in Ukraine, UNICEF has been able to establish partnerships in key hromadas (municipalities) and will continue to expand these in all oblasts (regions).
It is thanks to this unique blend of humanitarian and development approaches, and strong supportive partnerships, that we have been able to provide life-saving health and medical supplies to nearly 4 million people in war-affected areas in Ukraine, and access to safe water for nearly 3.5 million people in areas where networks have been damaged or destroyed. Our teams have provided access to formal and non-formal education to over 400,000 children in the country. Together with our partners, we have reached over 1.4 million children and caregivers with mental health and psychosocial support.
To respond to the needs of children Europe and Central Asia, we are leveraging partnerships established through long-standing country programmes, relationships with governments and a strong network of National Committees. UNICEF continues to expand our close relationships with municipal authorities, partner with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society organizations, and develop new multi-country relationships with key networks, such as the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM). Building on the strengths of United Nations partners, together with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) we are operating along major transit routes in Ukraine’s neighbouring countries. These safe spaces provide multiple services for children and families, but most importantly they allow us to identify and register children traveling on their own and connect them to protection services in these countries.
In more than 13 refugee-hosting countries, with well-established systems and provision of services, UNICEF focuses on policy change and systems strengthening. Our strategic partnerships not only serve the immediate needs of Ukraine’s children and families, they also contribute to strengthening national and local child protection systems, the expansion of pre-school and national education capacities, improvement of health systems, and support the integration of refugee children. This enables structural systemic changes that will provide improved support to all children in these countries beyond this emergency.
The knowledge of what is possible—of the impact we can achieve when we unite—is what drives me and our teams when faced with the sheer enormity of humanitarian need in Ukraine and across the region. We need to retain this drive, because we have to be ready for what is coming next. As the conflict and displacement continues and winter months approach, we must remain flexible and be able to pivot to meet the most urgent needs of the populations we serve. Continued effective and innovative partnerships across the region will be essential to making sure the children of Ukraine are not left out in the cold.
For whatever comes next for the children of Ukraine, UNICEF will be on the ground to meet immediate needs. We will work with governments, NGOs and civil society to reach and deliver at scale, and we will engage partners to strengthen systems and create sustainable change to benefit all children.
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Notes
1Source: UNICEF Humanitarian Response inside Ukraine, Factsheet, 11 August 2022.
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