UKRAINIAN REFUGEES AND INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE

KEY QUESTION: How do we help the hundreds of thousands of people who have been
displaced from their homes?

Strong and timely support to UNHCR has helped millions of displaced Ukrainians
The Nordic and Baltic countries responded fast in providing support, allowing UNHCR to provide
both immediate and longer-term responses to people fleeing the war in Ukraine. Since the
beginning of the war in Ukraine, over 7.1 million refugees from Ukraine have crossed the
borders into neighboring countries, some moving onwards to seek refuge in countries across
Europe. Meanwhile, more than 6.9 million people in Ukraine are internally displaced, facing
many challenges, including the absence of shelter, food, accommodation, basic infrastructure,
and access to employment and education.

The escalating conflict in Ukraine has been terrifying, especially for children. In shock and
desperate for safety, hundreds of thousands of people are on the move, searching for shelter
and safety, including in neighboring countries. Half of the refugees are children. Families on the
move need access to basic necessities like shelter, food, and clean water. Children are also
being traumatized by the violence they are witnessing all around them and are in desperate
need of psychosocial care. Despite the operational and security challenges, UNICEF is on the
ground, working around the clock in Ukraine and neighboring countries to provide support for
displaced families in need. As the conflict has intensified, thousands of families have been
forced to flee their homes, carrying their children and whatever belongings they could quickly
gather together.

Asya says that at first, she stayed in her apartment in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. But living on
the 15th floor meant that it was difficult to get down to the bomb shelter with her daughter. “So,
we just slept in the bathroom,” Asya says. “We put [our daughter] in the tub so she could stay in
the tub, and we just slept there.” Families have been walking long distances in freezing
temperatures to find shelter, sometimes in neighboring countries. A team from UNICEF Moldova
traveled to the Palanca crossing point on the border with Ukraine where a temporary refugee
center is located. The team has delivered several tons of desperately needed basic hygiene
products, including diapers, disinfectants, and wipes.

UNICEF and UNHCR are also reactivating the “Blue Dot” safe spaces which provided crucial
support to families on the move during the refugee and migrant crisis of 2015-2016. The hubs
provide a one-stop safe space for children and their families and offer a range of services,
including places for children to play, psychosocial support, basic legal counseling, recreational

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kits and hygiene products. They also have the ability to identify unaccompanied and separated
children and ensure their protection. Yaroslav, 9, is traveling with his mother, Vica. They are
planning to cross into Romania after an arduous journey that started a few days earlier in their
hometown of Kherson, in southern Ukraine. “Our family is there. All the time they are sheltering.
It’s a disaster”, Vica says. “We have a couple of friends in Europe, maybe we can go there, we
don’t know. Maybe Spain, but I’m not sure right now”. She says she has spoken with friends
who stayed behind in Kherson. “All the kids there are terrified to death, hiding in bathrooms, in
the shelters, hiding in basements.”

Tania is from the city of Chernivtsi, which is in western Ukraine close to the border with
Romania. She says she had to make a quick decision when the conflict intensified to leave
home with her family. “The decision was taken in just a few moments, because the situation in
Ukraine is very hard and you don’t know what it will be the next minute,” she says. David is also
from Chernivtsi, in western Ukraine, but fled with his grandmother to the border with Romania
when the conflict escalated. Max is traveling with his mother Alona. They fled to western
Ukraine before traveling to Romania and are trying to reach France. Alona says that they also
had to make a snap decision to leave, but were fortunate not to get caught up in traffic jams.
“My parents live outside Kyiv and were woken up by the sound of explosions near their house,”
she says. “We were able to leave within 15 minutes.”

The quick response from the Nordic and Baltic countries with support and financial contributions
allowed UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to respond to the humanitarian emergency quickly
and continuously in Ukraine and neighboring countries. However, with winter fast approaching,
many will need urgent and sustained support to cope with falling temperatures, including safe
places to stay, repairs to damaged homes, warm clothes, and psychosocial support. Through
241 humanitarian convoys, UNHCR together with other UN organizations has been able to get
vital help and emergency aid to more than 140,000 Ukrainians in the most hard-hit areas inside
the country. This work remains very challenging due to the security situation. UNHCR is
supporting the reception and collective centers in Ukraine, where internally displaced Ukrainians
are seeking shelter and support. We have created or improved almost 100,000 sleeping places
in more than 300 centers. More than 535,000 internally displaced people in Ukraine have
received cash assistance from UNHCR.

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Cash assistance allows the refugees to prioritize and fulfill their needs in a dignified manner and
contributes to the local economy. UNHCR has also provided cash assistance to some 397,000
refugees from Ukraine in neighboring Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, and Poland. Cash
assistance then serves as a transitional safety net before people find a job or are included in
national social protection schemes. UNHCR together with UNICEF has established 34 Blue Dot
Safe Spaces across Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Bulgaria, and Italy. The
Blue Dots provide a safe space for vulnerable refugees such as single mothers, unaccompanied
children, and refugees from the LGBTQI+ community. The Blue Dot hubs offer specialized
services, including information, advice, child-friendly spaces, family reunification services,
counseling, psychosocial support, safe areas to sleep, emergency items, and referral to
specialized services.

Inside Ukraine, UNHCR has reached almost 1.8 million people with assistance as of the end of
August. This includes delivering more than 723,000 food and non-food items, such as blankets,
kitchen sets, mattresses, jerry cans, and solar lamps, to internally displaced people in many
locations in Ukraine. The shelling has damaged many houses in the hard-hit areas of Ukraine,
and UNHCR is helping people with materials to repair roofs, windows, doors, and walls.

In Donetsk and Luhansk oblast, and in areas around Kyiv, UNHCR has also provided thousands
of households with emergency shelter kits. Early on, UNHCR launched a “Stay Safe”
awareness-raising campaign in Ukrainian, English, and Russian to inform Ukrainian refugees of
risks and offer guidance on how to keep safe. Additionally, UNHCR has deployed specialist staff
in Hungary, Moldova, Poland, and Romania and is training volunteers on protection against
exploitation and abuse, trafficking, and gender-based violence. Information, legal advice, and
referrals to the correct services are essential in times of plight. UNHCR has provided hundreds
of thousands of fleeing Ukrainians with information and protection services, including
psychosocial support. We do that via our presence at border crossing points, transit, and
reception centres, as well as via hotlines or our digital HELP pages.

What do people in Ukraine need most right now? “Peace is the most important thing,” says
Sasha Galkin, director of Right to Protection, a refugee assistance organization and IRC
partner in Ukraine. “We need some of these so-called green corridors to allow people to relocate
from hotspots like Mariupol, like the Kyiv suburbs.”
“People need just to have freedom of movement in order to leave these places,” he told

NPR. “And then, of course, the next step—just to relocate and [be] safe.” As in any

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 conflict, civilians continue to bear the brunt—both within Ukraine as well as those that

have fled from the country.

“Families are having to make terrible decisions about whether to send their kids with

neighbors or relatives to safety while they stay and try to protect their home and their

belongings,” says the IRC’s Bob Kitchen. “Otherwise, people are picking up whatever

they can carry, the clothes on their back, and are trying to make their way across the

country through increasing danger as they move.” The IRC is particularly concerned for

the safety of the many women and children who are becoming displaced within Ukraine

or fleeing to other countries.

“This is like nothing we’ve ever seen before—the speed of displacement is

unprecedented and the humanitarian needs are soaring each day, especially for women,

children and the elderly that make up the majority of those displaced,” says Heather

Macey, IRC emergency team lead in Poland. “We’ve seen that people are arriving at the

Polish border, with goodwill and intent, offering homes and transport to people who have

fled the crisis, but this of course poses a massive security risk for vulnerable people who

could fall victim to crime, exploitation or trafficking.”

We are calling on world leaders to prioritize support and protection services for them in

what has become the worst humanitarian crisis Europe has seen in decades.

Denmark as a donor
Thus far in 2022, Denmark has contributed over USD 101.6 million to UNHCR, of which USD
8.7 million went towards UNHCR’s response to the Ukraine situation. USD 35.6 million was
unearmarked. In 2021, Denmark was our eight biggest donor, with a contribution of USD 101.2
million, of which 34 % was unearmarked.

Finland as a donor
Thus far in 2022, Finland has contributed over USD 23 million to UNHCR, of which approx. USD
5.9 million went towards UNHCR’s response to the Ukraine situation. USD 8.2 million was

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unearmarked. In 2021, Finland contributed with over USD 26.5 million, of which 31 % was
unearmarked.

Iceland as a donor
Thus far in 2022, Iceland has contributed over USD 3.1 million to UNHCR, of which USD
788,563 went towards UNHCR’s response to the Ukraine situation. USD 772,499 was
unearmarked. In 2021, Iceland contributed with over USD 1.8 million, of which 26 % was
unearmarked.

Norway as a donor
Thus far in 2022, Norway has contributed over USD 108.3 million to UNHCR, of which approx.
USD 17.9 million went towards UNHCR’s response to the Ukraine situation. USD 72.5 million
was unearmarked. In 2021, Norway was our sixth biggest donor, with a contribution of USD
107.4 million, of which 74 % was unearmarked.

Sweden as a donor
Thus far in 2022, Sweden has contributed over USD 143.6 million to UNHCR, of which approx.
USD 7 million went towards UNHCR’s response to the Ukraine situation. USD 99.2 million was
unearmarked. In 2021, Sweden was our fifth biggest donor, with a contribution of USD 122.9
million, of which 75.4 % was unearmarked.

Latvia as a donor
Thus far in 2022, Latvia has contributed a total of USD 131,435 to UNHCR for the response to
the Ukraine situation. In 2021, Latvia contributed USD 11,933.

Lithuania as a donor
Thus far in 2022, Lithuania has contributed USD 225,225 to UNHCR. USD 112,613 million was
unearmarked funding which could be used for sudden emergencies. In 2021, Lithuania
contributed USD 58,617.

Estonia as a donor
Thus far in 2022, Estonia has contributed USD 593,673 to UNHCR, of which USD 194,506 went
towards UNHCR’s response to the Ukraine situation. USD 119,474 was unearmarked. In 2021,
Estonia contributed over USD 696,985, of which 17 % was unearmarked.

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UN human rights experts* and the Global Protection Cluster Coordinator are alarmed by the
scale of displacement in Ukraine and call for urgent action to protect internally displaced people.
They issue the following statement:

“Since 24 February, nearly 12.8 million people are estimated to have been displaced in Ukraine,
most of whom have not left the country. According to the most recent estimates, 7.7 million
people are internally displaced as a result of the conflict, which is equivalent to 17.5 percent of
the entire population. These are people who have had to leave their homes and everything
behind in a desperate attempt to escape death and destruction. They are traumatised and need
urgent protection, including psychosocial support.

This conflict has been causing extreme human suffering, with thousands of civilians killed and
injured, and countless others living through daily bombardment and violence. Homes, schools,
hospitals, care institutions and entire cities have been destroyed. Mines and explosive remnants
of war continue to pose alarming threats to civilians, including those remaining in their homes
and those fleeing the conflict. We are appalled by the disturbing reports of violations of
international human rights law and violations of international humanitarian law which may
amount to war crimes.

The humanitarian situation is dire. Internally displaced people, the majority of whom are women
and children, have lost everything they had – their homes and belongings, their livelihoods,
their support networks, and in many cases their loved ones. Many of them face shortages of
food, water, basic items and energy, and lack access to health services and medication. We are
also worried about the secondary effects of the conflict and displacement on food production
which are forecast to affect the availability of food in Ukraine and also globally.

Multiple forms of gender-based violence are being reported such as sexual exploitation and
abuse and sexual violence, including conflict-related sexual violence. Women and girls on the
move - at border crossing points or transit and collective centres and in bomb shelters -
experience particularly high insecurity and risk of violence, including trafficking in persons.
Numerous families have been separated during displacement, and unaccompanied and
separated children are particularly vulnerable to the risks of trafficking, violence, abuse and
exploitation.

We are also concerned by the appalling humanitarian situation of older people and people with
disabilities. They are often among the last to flee conflict zones and face many challenges
during displacement, living in poorly equipped temporary shelters and struggling with chronic

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health conditions without access to proper health care and rehabilitation centres. Many of them
are still in conflict zones because of mobility limitations or reliance on others for care, and face
challenges in accessing bomb shelters or safe areas. We are especially concerned about those
persons with disabilities, including children, living in institutions for persons with disabilities who
face barriers to access humanitarian assistance and evacuation on an equal basis with others.

Alongside internally displaced people in Ukraine, the estimated 13 million people who are
stranded in areas affected by the conflict are experiencing acute risks as well. Their lives and
security are threatened, and they are largely unable to access life-saving assistance due to
ongoing attacks and insecurity.

We urge the establishment of more humanitarian corridors with satisfactory security guarantees
for the delivery of humanitarian aid and safe passage for the evacuation of civilians, as well as
evacuation centres whose civilian character must be respected.

While local and international humanitarian organisations as well as government authorities are
providing humanitarian assistance to the best of their ability, they must be given as much
support as possible. Access to life-saving protection, child protection, mental health and
gender-based violence services is more critical than ever. We call on the international
community and donors to provide sustained and increased support for the response to internal
displacement and the Ukraine Flash Appeal, and other critical efforts to protect the human
rights of all civilians who remain in Ukraine.

We urge the parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law and international
human rights law to protect civilians. We reiterate our call for accountability for the horrific
crimes already documented and our support for the initiatives established to investigate these
allegations.

In order to bring an end to this immense suffering, we strongly urge the parties to establish a
humanitarian ceasefire and call for negotiations for peace.”

ENDS

*The UN experts: Cecilia Jimenez-Damary, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of

internally displaced persons; Claudia Mahler, Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all
human rights by older persons; Gerard Quinn, Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with
disabilities; Michael Fakhri, Special Rapporteur on the right to food; Reem Alsalem, Special
Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences; Siobhán Mullally,

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Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children; and Tlaleng
Mofokeng, Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest
attainable standard of physical and mental health.

The experts are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council.
Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system,
is the general name of the Council's independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that
address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special
Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary
for their work. They are independent of any government or organization and serve in their
individual capacity.