Humanitarian Sector in Ukraine: from Humanitarian Assistance to Development Agenda Through Times of Pandemic

HUMANITARIAN SECTOR IN UKRAINE: FROM HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO DEVELOPMENT AGENDA THROUGH TIMES OF PANDEMIC UNDP PROJECT “CRISIS COORDINATION MANAGEMENT IN UKRAINE” Developed with the support of the Crisis Management Center at the Office of the Prime Minister of Ukraine established with the support of UNDP This publication was prepared as part of the implementation of the UNDP project “Crisis Coordination Management in Ukraine”. The opinions, conclusions or recommendations within are those of the authors or compilers of the publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations Development Programme or other United Nations agencies. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION �� 5 CONCEPTUALIZING HUMAN SECURITY ��7 HUMANITARIAN COORDINATION ��10 RECOVERY OF CONFLICT-AFFECTED REGIONS ��13 GENDER ASPECTS ��16 Introduction 5 INTRODUCTION Ukraine can consider the crisis caused by of regional integration with the European COVID-19 not only as a threat, but also as an Union. Therefore, the reform of state and opportunity to consolidate and apply its expe- public institutions in the country is carried out rience and lessons learned in the crisis con- in parallel with the response to large-scale text, as well as to stimulate transitional and humanitarian challenges. Ukraine currently transformational processes in public admin- has a commitment to political association istration, social relations and development. and economic integration with the European Union. It is clear that the response and The comparative feature of Ukraine in the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis is affect- global and regional contexts is that the nega- ing Ukraine’s ability to meet these commit- tive impact of the coronavirus crisis (COVID- ments, including the allocation of resources 19 crisis) is complemented by other factors to the relevant sectors. directly related to the humanitarian sector. The COVID-19 crisis hit Ukraine at a time First, it is the armed conflict that has been when the humanitarian response in the con- ongoing since 2014, and the loss of Ukraine’s text of the armed conflict that began in 2014 state control over the territories in the two was shifting from the modality of emergency eastern regions and in Crimea due to involve- humanitarian assistance to long-term recov- ment of the Russian Federation – another ery programmes focused on strengthening UN Member State and a permanent member the links between humanitarian and develop- of its Security Council – as well as resulting ment processes. The COVID-19 epidemic has security and humanitarian crisis. There are not only suddenly expanded the landscape of almost 1.5 million internally displaced per- the humanitarian sector in Ukraine, but has sons in Ukraine1, and more than three million given additional impetus to the government, people are in need humanitarian assistance2. civil society and the international commu- At the same time, the internationally recog- nity to develop integrated approaches to link nized government does not exercise control humanitarian and security priorities with the over about 7% of the internationally recog- development aspects. nized territory of the state. Effective humanitarian response mecha- Second, it is a large-scale reform of the gov- nisms that emerged both from state-building ernment and socio-economic system, includ- and regional development, and the activities ing the areas of public administration and of the international community, were devel- health care that are the priorities of domestic oped in Ukraine especially in the period from policy. One of key impetus for such reform, 2014 and had their scope expanded during the along with a strong public demand, is inter- fight against the COVID-19 crisis in 2020. The national commitments in the framework proposals listed below focus on improving such mechanisms and their harmonization in 1 According to the Ministry of Social Policy: Internally Displaced Persons – the broader context of crisis management, Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine especially its strategic and coordination 2 According to UN data, https://www.unocha.org/ukraine aspects, taking into account and focusing on HUMANITARIAN SECTOR IN UKRAINE: FROM HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO DEVELOPMENT AGENDA THROUGH TIMES OF PANDEMIC 6 UNDP PROJECT “CRISIS COORDINATION MANAGEMENT IN UKRAINE” complementarity with the diverse experience the humanitarian response to support and gained over the last half-decade. assist the most vulnerable and affected persons. According to this framework, they The proposals are based on the second of should complement the efforts of the first three programmatic pillars identified by the and third pillars that focus on health sector United Nations Development System in the response and socio-economic recovery, context of the COVID-19 crisis, in particular respectively. Conceptualizing human security 7 CONCEPTUALIZING HUMAN SECURITY The armed conflict that began in 2014 with dignity3. This approach echoes the comprehen- the Russian Federation’s occupation of the sive approach to security declared by the OSCE Crimean peninsula and has defined the coun- and consists of politico-military, economic and try’s main security paradigm over the past environmental and human pillars. half-decade, stems from the region’s geopo- litical context at the turn of the twentieth and According to Article 26 of the Law on National twenty-first centuries. Accordingly, the military Security of Ukraine, the National Security political component is key to the prospects Strategy is developed upon instruction of the for its settlement. The conflict in Donbas and President of Ukraine within six months after the Azov Sea features classic kinetic warfare his/her inauguration4, so it is high time to start with a 550-kilometer front line and the use developing a new strategy. The current Strategy of a wide range of weapons and ammunition, adopted in May 2015 has become a landmark from small arms to multiple rocket launcher document for its time, but now needs to be systems. However, Ukraine does not stay updated both with regards to its achievements away from current trends in the discourse of and the new challenges that have arisen since international security, including the dichotomy its adoption. Such challenges are: of two key aspects of security – hard security • the conflict in Donbas becomes chronic; (armed conflict, weapons of mass destruction, terrorism) and human security (environmental • processes of demographic and security, biomedical security, gender equality). infrastructural engineering on the part Modern approaches to the development of of the Russian Federation in relation national security strategies increasingly take to the Crimean peninsula; into account such aspects as security and • democratic change of power in Ukraine defense (or military-political security or national against the background of the opposite security) and human security. These concepts process in the Russian Federation; complement and integrate with each other, forming a system in which the security of the • the problems of internally displaced national political community is based on the persons, the number of which security of social and economic communities is unprecedented for the European and units, territorial communities and families, region, despite the fact that this category individual citizens and ecosystems. Paying due is not protected by targeted international attention to human security enables the state conventions and thus relies on the state to not only to more effectively ensure rights and a much greater extent than the refugees; freedoms and promote sustainable develop- • the problems of migrant workers who were ment, but also to accumulate and demonstrate forced to return during the pandemic; soft power and attractiveness of its national idea and way of life. The concept of human security, in turn, is based on three elements – freedom from fear, 3 https://www.un.org/humansecurity/what-is-human-security/ freedom from want and respect for human 4 https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2469-19#Text HUMANITARIAN SECTOR IN UKRAINE: FROM HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO DEVELOPMENT AGENDA THROUGH TIMES OF PANDEMIC 8 UNDP PROJECT “CRISIS COORDINATION MANAGEMENT IN UKRAINE” • prospects of Ukraine’s integration into the account the problems of mass forced return European space in the context of COVID-19 of Ukrainian labour migrants from abroad crisis, etc. and forced internal displacement caused by the armed conflict; On 17 January 2020, the National Security and • to develop the national mine action strategy Defense Council considered the draft National in accordance with the Law of Ukraine Security Strategy of Ukraine Human Security – on Mine Action in Ukraine and current Country Security5, the declared title of which international standards in this sector; reflects the focus on the concept of human security. Further strategic planning documents • to develop the national strategy to be developed on the basis of the Strategy for environmental

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