UNICEF: Children in Crossfire of Ukraine Crisis

Ukraine: UNICEF scales up lifesaving support for children and families under threat

The Donbas region:

• "The past eight years of conflict have inflicted profound and lasting damage to children on both sides of the line of contact…The children of Ukraine need peace, desperately, now." (UNICEF Executive Director Russell)
• Long-standing conflict has disrupted the daily lives of those living along both sides of the contact line between government and non-government-controlled areas
• The population needs continuous humanitarian assistance
• School infrastructure has been heavily damaged or run down
• COVID-19 exasperated socio-economic strains
• Long-running UNICEF programs will continue as part of UNICEF’s 2022 action plan

Current situation:

• Continuous fighting is affecting 510,000 children in the Donbas region
• Artillery damaged critical water infrastructure and education facilities along the line of contact
• UNICEF joined UN Secretary Antonio Guterres in calling for:
  • an immediate cease-fire, and for all parties to respect their international obligations
  • to protect children from harm and ensure humanitarian actors can safely and quickly reach children in need
• UNICEF also called to refrain from attacking infrastructure on which children depend (water and sanitation systems, health facilities and schools)

UNICEF’s emergency response:

• UNICEF is rapidly stepping up emergency response efforts from field offices in Kramatorsk, Mariupol, Luhansk and Donetsk
• Key emergency interventions include:
  • Prepositioning health, hygiene and education supplies as close as possible to communities living along the line of contact
  • Providing safe water to conflict-affected areas
  • Support of mobile protection teams providing
    • psychosocial care to children traumatized by chronic insecurity
    • responding to cases of violence and abuse against children
    • assisting children separated from family
  • Working with municipalities to ensure there is immediate help for children and families in need
• UNICEF Program targets:
  • Efforts to immunize children against measles and polio (recent outbreaks of both vaccine-preventable diseases due to lapses in routine immunization coverage)
  • Efforts to shore up critical water, sanitation, electrical and heating facilities and school infrastructure
  • Education support: focused on improving access to learning where it has flagged due to weak teaching capacities
  • Health and nutrition support seeks to improve quality services where they remain limited