UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organisation dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people.
Since 1950, UNHCR has led international action to protect people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and prosecution.
The organisation provides them with life-saving assistance including shelter, food, as well as water and also helps safeguard their fundamental human rights.
UNHCR has been working in Ukraine since 1994, alongside local authorities, partners and community organizations. Ukraine has been affected by years of conflict and uncertainty — throughout these years, UNHCR has delivered essential aid to persons affected by the conflict, internally displaced persons, refugees and stateless persons in the country.
The war started in Ukraine on 24 February 2022 and caused civilian casualties and destruction of civilian infrastructure, forcing people to flee their homes seeking safety, protection and assistance. In the first five weeks, more than four million refugees from Ukraine crossed borders into neighbouring countries, and many more have been forced to move inside the country. They are in need of protection and support. In light of the emergency and the scale of humanitarian needs of refugees from Ukraine, an inter-agency regional refugee response is being carried out, in support of the efforts of refugee-hosting countries.
The Regional Refugee Response Plan brings together the UN, NGOs, and other relevant partners and focuses on supporting host country governments to ensure safe access to the territory for refugees and third-country nationals fleeing from Ukraine, in line with international standards. It also prioritizes the provision of critical protection services and humanitarian assistance, as displacement and needs continue to grow exponentially.
UNHCR is present in Ukraine and provides humanitarian assistance wherever necessary and possible. UNHCR established new offices in central and western Ukraine where large numbers of displaced people have arrived to seek safety.
We now operate out of offices in Lviv, Vinnytsia, Uzhhorod, Chernvitsi, Dnipro and in Donetsk and Luhansk non-government-controlled areas (NGCAs). UNHCR’s hubs in Dnipro and Vinnytsia serve as important bases for delivering much-needed humanitarian assistance and protection services to people living in the central, eastern, and north-eastern and south-eastern regions of Ukraine, including those heavily affected by the hostilities.
UNHCR operates as a part of the inter-agency humanitarian response and is leading three clusters – Protection, Shelter, and NFIs (non-food items) and CCCM (Camp Coordination and Camp Management).
The overall goal of UNHCR’s operational delivery is to provide immediate relief to those fleeing military hostilities, while laying the groundwork for sustainable and durable solutions, working closely in coordination with state and local authorities, community-based actors and partners.
We work to ensure that everybody has the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge, having fled violence, persecution, war or disaster at home.