Early data estimates suggest that 90% of the Ukrainian population could be facing poverty and extreme economic vulnerability should the war deepen, setting the country – and the region – back decades and leaving deep social and economic scars for generations to come, according to the early projection released today by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
“In the event of a continuing, protracted war in Ukraine, 18 years of socio-economic achievements could be lost, with almost one third of the population living below the poverty line and a further 62% at high risk of falling into poverty within the next twelve months, according to an early projection released today by the UNDP,” UNDP said in a press release on Wednesday.
UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner said that the war in Ukraine is causing unimaginable human suffering with a tragic loss of life and the displacement of millions of people.
“While the need for immediate humanitarian assistance to Ukrainians is of the utmost importance, the acute development impacts of a protracted war are now becoming more apparent. An alarming economic decline, and the suffering and hardship it will bring to an already traumatized population must now come into sharper focus. There is still time to halt this grim trajectory,” he said.
Based on its longstanding, trusted partnership with the Government of Ukraine, UNDP has been working in all 24 regions (administrative districts) of Ukraine with more than 332 municipalities, 15 civil society organizations hubs, and more than 17 business membership associations across the country. As part of the coordinated United Nations Country Team’s response, UNDP is now leveraging this extensive network for immediate and scaled up support to the people of Ukraine, focusing on immediate crisis response and maintaining core government functions for emergency response management and public service delivery.
“In order to avoid further suffering, destruction and impoverishment we need peace now. As part of the United Nations’ unwavering commitment to the Ukrainian people, UNDP’s primary focus is to help preserve hard-won development gains. That includes supporting the government to sustain critical governance structures and services, which constitute the bedrock of all societies,” Steiner said.
UNDP said that according to government estimates, at least $100 billion worth of infrastructure, buildings, roads, bridges, hospitals, schools, and other physical assets have been destroyed. The war has caused 50% of Ukrainian businesses to shut down completely, while the other half are forced to operate well below capacity.
Among the largest UN agencies on the ground in Ukraine, UNDP has remained operational throughout the conflict and is now boosting its presence with targeted, specialized deployments in key areas such as debris management, damage assessment and emergency livelihoods including cash-based assistance, and also offering operational entry points and platforms to development and humanitarian partners to channel and scale support to the Government and people of Ukraine.
UNDP said that a series of policy measures in the coming weeks could assist and mitigate a freefall into poverty as the conflict rages on. In view of the scale of the needs and priorities, and of the country’s strong banking and financial services infrastructure, UNDP joins the UN Crisis Coordinator in promoting the use of multi-purpose cash assistance which could help reach the largest number of people in desperate need across the country.
“For example, UNDP’s initial estimates are that a large-scale emergency cash transfer operation, costing approximately $250 million per month, would cover partial income losses for 2.6 million people expected to fall into poverty. A more ambitious temporary basic income (TBI) that provides a basic income of $5.50 per day per person would cost $430 million a month, based on initial estimates,” the organization said.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that more than 100,000 people and organizations have expressed interest in supporting Ukrainians who left the country due to the Russian invasion through the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
“It’s fantastic that over 100,000 people and organisations have recorded their interest in supporting Ukrainians fleeing the war through the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Thank you to everyone across the country who has stepped up to offer their help so far,” Johnson wrote on Twitter.
About 130 Ukrainian citizens want to return home from Afghanistan at the present time, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said.
“Now about 130 citizens want to return. We are developing safe exit routes. We do not abandon our people in trouble abroad and have already proved this many times. They also leave on their own. In a month, more than 30 citizens and their family members left Afghanistan on their own,” Kuleba wrote on his page on Twitter on Tuesday.
Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) of Ukrainians, after rising by 1.7 points in June, decreased by 1.6 points in July – to 71.3 points on a 200-point scale, according to a study by Info Sapiens agency.
“Most components of the Consumer Confidence Index in July 2021 are stable and have not changed compared to June. However, there is a tendency to reduce the Index of Expected Changes in Personal Financial Standing, which may be associated with an increase in gas prices,” the agency’s website says.
According to the study, Index of the Current Situation (ICS) has increased and equals 68.2, which is 0.2 points higher than in June. Index of Current Personal Financial Standing equals 61.2, which is 0.2 points higher than the indicator in June. Index of Propensity to Consume increased by 0.2 point to the level 75.2 points.
In July, Index of Economic Expectations (ІЕE) equals 73.3, which is 2.9 points lower that the level of this indicator in June. Index of Expected Changes in Personal Financial Standing equals 75.3, which is 4.1 points lower than in June. Index of Expectations of the Country’s Economic Development over the Next Year equals 65.9 which is 0.9 points lower than the level of this indicator in June and Index of Expectations of the Country’s Economic Development over the Next 5 Years decreased by 3.6 points compared to last month and equals 78.8.
Info Sapiens indicates that the indicator of Index of Expectations of Changes in Unemployment has decreased by 1.2 points and equals 137.4 and Index of Inflationary Expectations increased by 3.8 points and equals 192.
Expectations of Ukrainians regarding the hryvnia’s exchange rate in the coming three months have improved: Index of Devaluation Expectations increased by 11.4 points and equals 139.4.
The Italian government has opened entry for Ukrainians for all types of travel since July 31, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
“In accordance with the order of the Italian Ministry of Health dated July 29 on the updated norms for crossing the border with Italy, in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, Ukraine has been included in the list of countries of category D since July 31, which provides for the possibility of visiting the territory of the Italian Republic for any purpose, including tourism,” a message on the website of the interactive map of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine tripadvisor.mfa.gov.ua reads.
It is indicated that at the same time, those wishing to visit Italy should take into account the basic mandatory requirements.
In particular, the presence of a certificate of a negative result of molecular or antigenic testing for COVID-19 (the test was done at least 72 hours before arrival). The online Passenger Locator Form must also be completed, which is available at https://app.euplf.eu/.
Upon arrival in Italy, citizens must self-isolate for five days, after which they must retest for COVID-19, which must confirm a negative result.
“Self-isolation is not required if a citizen has a negative molecular or antigen test for COVID-19, and has provided the carrier or any other authorized person with the corresponding Green Pass European-standard certificate of completion of the full course of vaccination with one of the approved by the European Agency on medicinal products with the following vaccines Pfizer, Johnson and Johnson, Moderna, AstraZeneca (a green passport is always provided with a negative test result),” the message explains.
In the absence of the above certificates, citizens can enter Italy, but they must self-isolate within five days, activating local health surveillance procedures, informing the local health authorities; pass the test after completing the established self-isolation.
Children under six are always exempt from the test requirement, but must still self-isolate if necessary.
The above provisions are valid until October 25, 2021.
In addition, the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine recalled that, in addition to the above rules, the rules for the need to confirm the purpose of the trip, the place of stay, the availability of the necessary funds, the date of departure from Italy, etc., remain in force, which can be verified by the officers of the border police of Italy when entering the country. The final decision on permission to enter/refusal of entry is always made by the Italian border police (Polizia di Frontiera), the Foreign Ministry stressed.
Another plane has departed from the airport of Kabul (Afghanistan) with more than 100 Ukrainian citizens on board.
The relevant statement was made by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba during the inaugural summit of the Crimea Platform in Kyiv on Monday.
“Now, while we are discussing the issue of Crimea, another Ukrainian plane took off from Kabul. There are more than 100 Ukrainian citizens on board,” Kuleba said.
On the morning of August 22, the Ukrainian military transport aircraft Il-76MD of the Ukrainian Air Force, which took off from the Afghan airport of Kabul the day before, arrived in Boryspil. On board there were 83 passengers, of whom 31 were citizens of Ukraine.
