Financial status of displaced Ukrainians worsens over past 3 months – survey results

May 9, 2018.

   
    A total of 54% of internally displaced persons (IDPs) have money only for food or have to limit expenses even for food, according to a survey conducted under the EU project “Supporting Recovery and Sustainable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons and the Conflict-Affected Population in Ukraine” in March 2018. This is a 10% increase from the previous round of the survey in December 2017. The survey was conducted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN Migration Agency. Some 2,420 IDPs were interviewed face-to-face and 3,611 IDPs were interviewed by phone.
    
    According to the survey, a current average monthly income per an IDP household member is UAH 2,239 (EUR 71), which is UAH 207 less than in December 2017. It stays lower than the actual subsistence level calculated by the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine in March at UAH 3,215 (EUR 102). One-fourth of the IDP households, surveyed by IOM, have monthly income of up to UAH 3,000 (EUR 95), while almost half of IDP families live on UAH 3,000 – UAH 7,000 (EUR 95 – EUR 222) per month.
    
    “The conflict in eastern Ukraine and its impact on Ukraine’s economy over the past years has eroded people’s coping capacity, exacerbating their vulnerabilities,” Dr. Thomas Lothar Weiss, IOM Ukraine’s Chief of Mission, said.
    
    The survey revealed that healthcare currently appears to be unaffordable for many IDPs due to the cost of medicine and services. The share of IDPs satisfied with accessibility of healthcare services drastically declined from 85% in December 2017 to 62 % in March 2018.
    
    At the same time, situation with IDPs’ employment has remained relatively stable since June 2017, with 48% of displaced persons having a job. Some 12% of IDPs are currently actively seeking employment. Among them, the overwhelming majority (78%) are women, and up to 40% complain about the lack of vacancies.
    
    “Having assisted over 220,000 conflict-affected people in Ukraine, IOM is committed to working with the Government and civil society of Ukraine, donors, Humanitarian Country Team and other international partners in order to build resilience of most vulnerable populations affected by the conflict in the East,” Thomas Weiss said.
    
    Ambassador Hugues Mingarelli, Head of EU Delegation to Ukraine, explained that thousands of IDPs have already benefitted from EU's assistance for accommodation; many more are receiving much needed trainings and small grants for starting their own business. Apart from grants and humanitarian aid, the European Investment Bank, the EU’s bank, is providing Ukraine loans for reconstruction projects in five Eastern regions.
    
    "The conflict in Eastern Ukraine continues to trigger new humanitarian needs, to damage local infrastructure and negatively affect incomes of many families. Unfortunately, displacement and lack of opportunities forces many internally displaced to return to insecure areas and risk their lives. The EU, as the largest donor, will continue doing everything in its power to improve the conditions of IDPs and increase their access to employment and basic services,” Ambassador Mingarelli noted.
    
    Background information: The “Supporting Recovery and Sustainable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons and the Conflict-Affected Population in Ukraine” project is designed for about 1.5 years from January 2017 to July 2018. Its goal is to provide livelihood assistance to conflict-affected people in Ukraine, foster social cohesion and community development, collect reliable data on IDP situation and needs, as well as to support the government entities dealing with the registration of displaced persons. The project is financed by the EU and implemented by IOM.
    
    The IOM Mission in Ukraine was established in 1996. During 21 years of presence in Ukraine, IOM has assisted over half a million migrants (Ukrainians and other nationals), IDPs, potential migrants, victims of trafficking and other vulnerable groups, directly or through its project partners. IOM has been conducting surveys on the situation of IDPs in Ukraine on a regular basis since March 2016.
    
    For additional information, please contact Varvara Zhluktenko at IOM Ukraine, Tel: +38 044 568 50 15, +38 067 447 97 92, Email: vzhluktenko@iom.int