Ukraine

Since the beginning of 2014, the Donbass region has been a battleground, leading to the division of the territory into areas controlled by the Ukrainian government and those not controlled. Before the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, about 55% of the population in the occupied territories, approximately 1.6 million people, required humanitarian assistance.

The Russian invasion triggered a humanitarian crisis of even more alarming proportions with mass displacements, severe human rights violations, irreparable damage to infrastructure, and leaving at least 24 million people in urgent need of aid and protection.

Over two years since the war began, the local population lives in precarious conditions, with ongoing civilian evacuations, especially in the regions most affected by bombings.

The conflict has caused a profound economic and social crisis due to limited access to basic services. According to the latest Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment by the World Bank (February 2022 – February 2023), direct damages in Ukraine have exceeded $135 billion, particularly affecting the housing, transport, energy, trade, and industry sectors. Interruptions in economic flows and production, as well as additional war-related expenses, amount to about $290 billion. Ukraine’s GDP decreased by 29.2 percent in 2022, and poverty increased from 5.5 percent to 24.1 percent in 2022. Employment dropped by 30%, with a drastic increase in inflation, further exacerbating humanitarian needs. Reconstruction and recovery needs are estimated at about $411 billion.

Systematic attacks on infrastructure have disrupted vital services such as water supply, electricity, healthcare, and education. Additionally, severe incidents like the destruction of the Kakhovka dam by Russian bombing in June 2023 caused floods, displacing thousands and leaving hundreds of thousands without access to drinking water.

The Climate Conference on June 7, 2023, highlighted the environmental and climatic damage caused by massive bombings, which increased water and soil pollution and aggravated risks due to the widespread presence of nuclear power plants.

According to OCHA’s 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan, nearly 18 million people in Ukraine need immediate assistance, over 4.3 million children have been forced to flee their homes, and internally displaced persons exceed 5 million.

The crisis has differentially impacted the population, with intersectional impacts based on gender, age, disability, and minority status. Women face increased professional and caregiving responsibilities and threats of gender-based violence. Marginalized groups, people with disabilities, and people with HIV/AIDS are particularly at risk of exclusion and exploitation.

The war has left invisible scars with millions of people suffering from acute stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and increased substance abuse.

In this challenging context, Italian Cooperation has supported Ukraine since 2022 with the following projects:

Contributions to Initiatives for Ukraine by International Organizations – €55.5 million
Italy has strongly and quickly supported numerous initiatives launched by major International Organizations, both in terms of responding to humanitarian and emergency appeals and through funding development cooperation projects. For emergency humanitarian appeals, €6 million were allocated to the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund (UHF), the multi-donor fund for Ukraine managed by OCHA to respond to the most urgent needs of vulnerable population groups; €6 million contributed to the UN Flash Appeal for Ukraine operated by UNICEF; €8 million to UNHCR under the Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP) for the 2022 Ukraine crisis; €4 million to ICRC under the Annual Appeal for Ukraine 2022, and €1 million for the ICRC Bilateral Emergency Fund; €2.5 million to FICROSS for the preliminary emergency appeal for the Ukraine crisis. Additionally, €4 million were dedicated to the “Grain from Ukraine” program by WFP, launched by President Volodymyr in November 2022 during the first International Summit on Food Security in Kyiv; a contribution of €500,000 was approved for the OECD for the “Ukraine Country Program.” Specific funds from the Migration Fund and the Reward Fund were allocated to respond to the refugee crisis in Ukraine and the region, including:

– €5 million to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), €5 million to UNICEF, for activities supporting the authorities of neighboring countries (Moldova) in managing and assisting Ukrainian refugees, and €10 million to UNHCR for activities in Moldova.
– €3 million to UNHCR for a project to assist internally displaced persons within Ukraine.
– Additionally, as part of the patronage of the reconstruction of the city and region of Odessa – assumed by Italy on October 2, 2023 – and the project called “Reconstruction Laboratory,” an initiative with UNESCO amounting to €500,000 was approved to secure the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odessa, damaged by Russian bombings.

Financial Support to the Ukrainian State Budget – about €330 million bilateral
The Italian government has supported Ukraine’s macroeconomic financial framework in various forms – directly or through the European Union – by providing funds to support the state budget.

Directly, Italian Cooperation contributed €110 million as a grant to help the country face the socioeconomic challenges arising from the conflict, ensure the continuity of basic services, and support reconstruction efforts.

Calls for Civil Society Organizations – €60 million
A hallmark of the Italian Development Cooperation system is the network of Civil Society Organizations that, since the large-scale conflict began, has played a crucial role in delivering humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. The Italian government decided to dedicate two Calls for Applications to directly fund projects and initiatives proposed by Italian CSOs.

The first “urgent emergency” call in 2022, with a total amount of €14 million, enabled the realization of 14 projects targeting over 150,000 beneficiaries: displaced persons, people with disabilities, minors, women, and the elderly with specific needs. To improve the living conditions of this most vulnerable population, humanitarian assistance projects provide and distribute essential goods and deliver essential services tailored to gender needs.

In 2023, considering the significant results achieved through the first call, the Italian government decided to finance a second call “for the population affected by the conflict in Ukraine and neighboring countries” in 2023 with an increased commitment, dedicating over €46 million to this initiative, which enabled the funding of 27 projects by CSOs – mostly Italian – aimed at providing multisectoral lifesaving humanitarian assistance to the population affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis through the provision of goods and services in education, health, protection, water and hygiene, emergency relief, distributions, transport, and humanitarian demining. The estimated total beneficiaries exceed 900,000 individuals.

Initiatives for the Resilience of Ukrainian Energy Infrastructure – €110.6 million
Great attention has been dedicated to the resilience of critical Ukrainian infrastructure, severely hit by the Russian bombing campaign but crucial for the country’s functioning and the population’s well-being.

In 2023, Italian Cooperation initially contributed by allocating €10 million to the EBRD (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development) in the form of aid credits for an initiative to support the efforts of the Ukrainian National Energy Company Ukrenergo to ensure a continuous energy supply to the population and businesses across the country and the stability of the national energy system. Another €100 million was then allocated through EBRD to Ukrhydroenergo to strengthen the hydroelectric power generation system and maintain electricity production capacity and stability at the hydroelectric plants on the Dnipro River following the dramatic Russian attack on the Nova Kakhovka dam.

The Italian Agency for Development Cooperation also finalized a contract worth about €660,000 for the purchase of 52 generators of different voltage levels, already directly delivered to Ukraine.

Initiatives in Mine Clearance and Health Rehabilitation – €5.3 million
As part of initiatives to support Ukraine’s capacity in mine clearance and the psycho-physical rehabilitation of mine victims, Italy launched a project worth about €2 million to support three assistance centers for mine victims in Lviv, the Super Humans, UNBROKEN, and Halychyna hospitals, involving the Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute in Bologna, the Center for Prosthetics and Orthopedic Devices of Inail in Budrio, the Bambin Gesù Hospital in Rome, the Italian Red Cross, and the Santa Lucia Foundation in Rome.

Additionally, about €1.8 million were provided to Ukraine as a direct contribution to purchase two mine clearance machines and related materials. A €1.5 million contribution dedicated to demining, currently being defined, was also approved. These initiatives are complemented by three specific mine clearance projects included in the 2023 emergency call worth over €5 million.

Direct Assistance through the Donation of Goods
Since the beginning of the emergency, Italian Cooperation has organized the donation and transport of humanitarian goods totaling about 75 tons, also within the framework of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, using the services of the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD) in Brindisi.

Contributions to Neighboring Countries for Managing the Humanitarian Emergency
Italy has also allocated part of its financial support to neighboring countries (Moldova, Poland, and Romania) to support their capacity to manage the humanitarian emergency and welcome the millions of Ukrainian women and children fleeing the conflict. Some of these projects are included in the Contributions to Initiatives for Ukraine by International Organizations, worth €55.5 million.