Global context
This is the most violent period in world history since 1945, with 54 active wars raging on our planet today. Most wars today are those within states, not wars between them. Syria, Nigeria, Yemen, Myanmar, Ethiopia –these are the wars that define the modern era of conflict. This is important because civil wars are fundamentally different. Civil wars last as much as four times longer than interstate wars. And when wars don’t end, the promise of a return to home is perpetually put on hold.
This has resulted in 100 million displaced persons around the world –the largest number we’ve seen since World War II, more than double the levels from over a decade ago.
At the same time, 354 million people are going hungry worldwide. These people are defined as “acutely food insecure” and it’s a drastic jump from 135 million just three years ago.
This is not all about Ukraine, the climate crisis and the lingering impact of the pandemic have also contributed to crop loss and rising food and fuel prices. But given the importance of Ukrainian and Russia wheat and grain exports, the conflict has had catastrophic impacts on many regions already facing conflictand crises.
Ukraine in context
More than 7.2 million people have fled across borders to seek safety since Russia deployed its military into neighboring Ukraine on February 24. Bombs and shelling have continued, deliberately targeting homes and civilian infrastructure in what could become the worst humanitarian crisis Europe has seen in decades. Ukrainian territorial gains in mid-September have exposed large-scale damages and an extreme need for humanitarian support in regions formerly held by Russian forces.
With over 7 months into the war, bombs and shelling continue to target homes and civilian infrastructure across the country, with the most significant fighting happening in the eastern regions bordering the Donbas area of Luhansk and Donetsk.
Humanitarian impact
- 17.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, more than 13,000 civilians killed in the fighting.
- Public infrastructure has also been destroyed, meaning millions of people are without adequate water, heat and electricity, or are unable to reach stores to buy basic necessities because roads and bridges are unpassable.
- The country’s health system is crumbling as hospitals begin to run out of medicine and electricity is cut. Health facilities, including a maternity and children's hospital, have also been damaged during the invasion—another grave breach of international humanitarian law.
- Women and girls impacted by the crisis are also increasingly unable to reach the emergency medical services, basic health care, and social services they need. An estimated 80,000 women will give birth in the next three months in Ukraine. If the crisis continues to shut down essential services, many will do so without access to critical maternal health care. For them, childbirth could be a life-threatening experience.
IRC’s response in Ukraine, neighboring countries, and resettlement
Thanks in part to the generous support of the Oak Foundation, the IRC has been on the ground in Ukraine and Poland since February, working directly with our partners to reach those most in need. This includes providing critical information, cash support, medical supplies and other essential needs. We currently have four offices operating across the country making an impact across
Areas of work and impact in Ukraine
- Cash assistance to 90,000 Ukrainians.
- Protection services (child protection, women’s protection, legal support, psychosocial support) to more than 17,000 Ukrainians.
- Supporting 38 health facilities across the country including distributing $60K worth of pharmaceuticals.
- Established 6 local partners in 19 oblasts/provinces across the country. This is grounded in the principles of our Partnership Excellence for Equality and Results System (PEERS).
Impact beyond Ukraine
- More than 45,000 people reached with cash assistance support and 1,200 with our protection programming in Poland to-date.
- Currently partnering with 26 local organizations in Germany, UK, the Balkans, Italy, Moldova and beyond to deliver support to displaced Ukrainians in Europe. We are scaling up programs to address their acute needs.
Where do needs go next?
Health, protection, access to essential goods and cash are the primary needs right now. We are especially concerned about the tens of thousands of women who will give birth in dangerous conditions without access to critical maternal health services.
Thinking ahead to the next several months, our focus is on the looming winter in Ukraine. We anticipating that millions could lose access to electricity, water and shelter as the cold weather approaches. In areas most heavily affected by the conflict, especially in the east, temperatures are expected to drop as low as minus 20 Celsius in the winter months.
Long-term needs and rebuilding
Even under the best case circumstances of an end to this conflict in the near future, it doesn’t mean the humanitarian suffering is over. Wars like this, particularly when civilian infrastructure has been so ruthlessly targeted, have generational consequences.
Even when wars end the needs don’t go away. The tv cameras move on, the funders move on, but we don’t. In some ways the post-conflict phase is the most critical because that’s the opportunity we have to pull a country out of the cycle of fragility, and yet it is also the moment when the political will, the diplomatic initiative, and the aid funding all recede. What we’re asking from you is that regardless of what happens next in Ukraine, don’t move onto the next crisis and forget the Ukrainians behind.
