General Coordination Meeting – Sievierodonetsk (Luhansk Oblast) 18 June 2015 Discussion Action Points/Decisions 1. Summary of steps taken based on decisions of the previous meeting by UN OCHA OCHA to follow up on the implications of new Temporary Order of entry/exit to NGCAs for humanitarian cargo UN OCHA summarized activities based on the decisions of the last General Coordination Meeting. The movement. issue of unaccompanied minors is being addressed both at oblast and national levels. WHO keeps checking if tuberculin was delivered to all raions of the oblast. For the moment, it is confirmed that Bilovodsk, Milove and Markivka raions and Lysychansk didn’t receive it. WHO and UN OCHA had the meetings with the authorities in Bilovodsk, Milove and Markivka raions. The maternity hospital in Bilovodsk serves three raions and many women come for delivery from NGCAs of the oblast. The authorities asked to support the hospital with hygiene kits both for women and for newborns. At the national level UN OCHA continues to provide support in the development of the Law on “humanitarian assistance”. It is expected that the draft is finalized by June 30 and then passed for discussion to the Parliament of Ukraine. As of today only 30% of required funding has been funded or pledged as part of Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP). The new Temporary Order on entry/exit to NGCAs has been adopted and came into force. For the moment no commercial cargoes are permitted to NGCAs due to security situation. 2. Update of the current humanitarian situation in Oblast from UN OCHA and LOMCA SES to share the estimated costs of transition center with the humanitarian partners for their participation in The number of officially registered IDPs is growing despite of difficulties in crossing the contact line. The this project. main problems remain the same as before: accommodation for IDPs and employment. LOMCA Social Protection Department representative pointed out that one of the options to provide suitable houses for IDPs was to renovate existing buildings for social flats. Such buildings can be allocated by authorities in Rubizhne. At least two buildings there can be offered immediately. The maintenance costs in other cities (Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk) can be too high due to the price of public utilities. Another issue raised by LOMCA is the need of arranging recreation in summer period for children. It was noted that out of 38 summer camps only 16 camps are located in GCAs. Out of these 16 only 4 camps can be used for hosting children this year as the rest are destroyed due to military actions, occupied by IDPs or located in areas close to the contact line. The average costs for the child staying in the camp in United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) | Ukraine Coordination Saves Lives | www.unocha.org Discussion Action Points/Decisions the oblast are 3000 UAH. There is an opportunity to send children to the camps in other parts of Ukraine but financial support is needed to cover the costs. Support of humanitarian and volunteer organizations is welcome. Another option is school summer camps that have been open in all raions of the oblast. LOMCA representative highlighted that the transport corridor “Stakhaniv-Pervomaysk-Lysychansk” was closed from NGCA side where signs “mines” were installed on the road. The crossing point via village near the coalmine Rodina was used as an alternative, but now it is also mined according to the information available at the oblast administration. Humanitarian organizations were advised to search for agreement for humanitarian cargo movement with the other party of the conflict directly. All industrial enterprises in GCAs are powered via one line, two additional lines are damaged and they can’t be renovated due to security situation. The support from IOs in finding agreement with non-state actors is requested to secure the repairs by the technicians. SES representative talked about the preparedness work that it is carrying out in the event the situation deteriorates. It is planned to arrange a transition point in Sievierodonetsk that is able to receive 100-150 people. The fourth floor of SES administrative building in Sievierodonetsk can be converted in such a center by preparing rooms for temporary accommodation of people. The support in the form of furniture, bed linen and NFI is welcome. Sievierodonetsk would be an appropriate place for such transition center as people can be sent further to other parts of Ukraine via railway stations in Lysychansk and Rubizhne. The costs of conversion are being identified. It is decided by SES that every fire station shall have small transition point (for 5-10 people) to accommodate people for 3-4 days in case of the need. The need for comprehensive employment program for IDPs was stressed. IDPs from NGCAs of Luhansk oblast have to be encouraged to stay within oblast rather than moving to other oblasts of Ukraine. 3. Education DRC/DDG started survey in NGCA. Results will be used for development of MRE training and arranging public awareness campaign. In GCAs “train the trainers” program has already started and the first 41 teachers from both Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts were trained in Sievierodonetsk in the period from 2 June to 11 June 2015. Both international and national NGOs are invited to participate in MRE training and they will be able to disseminate this knowledge to their colleagues and partners. DDG was asked for information leaflets that can be distributed among communities of the oblast. DDG plans to have such leaflets by the end of July. DDG has also cooperated with the local TV company to cover bigger audience with MRE. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Coordination Saves Lives | www.unocha.org Discussion Action Points/Decisions 4. Emergency Shelter/NFI NRC continues emergency shelter/NFI activity in the settlements located along the contact line. Over 10,000 beneficiaries have been covered in total. Activity includes construction material provision for renovation of the damaged houses and NFI distribution. 5. Food Security It was stressed by WFP that humanitarian access to NGCAs is the major problem in implementing food distribution project. Despite all the paperwork, humanitarian convoys are not allowed to pass due to security issues. Mercy Corps plans to distribute 25,000 food packages to vulnerable population in NGCAs. About 10000 packages have been already distributed in Krasnyy Luch, Pervomaysk, Sverdlovsk, Stakhaniv, Antratsyt and other towns in NGCAs. Mercy Corps has achieved agreement with the so-called “LPR” and suggested its support to other humanitarian actors to start activities in NGCAs. It was mentioned that there is a Joint Control and Coordination Centre (JCCC) in Soledar (GCA of Donetsk oblast) that facilitates relations between opposing parties and it can be used for establishing operations of the humanitarian partners. During last week ADRA has distributed over 2000 vouchers for purchasing food in chain supermarket (in Sievierodonetsk and Kreminna) in the framework of cash voucher project. Organizations are trying to build cooperation in such a way to avoid duplication of assistance provided within different projects. 6. Health care services Partners to share contact information with WHO to include it in the informational leaflet. WHO mobile teams re-started their operation after a short break. Additional mobile team is planned to be launched in Lysyschansk to cover the settlements along the contact line. Discussions to issue vouchers for drugs and medical services is under way. WHO is working over of supplying rapid tests for HIV/AIDS. MSF mobile clinics served 12 settlements along the contact line in Popasna raion and 10 settlements in Novoaydar raion. The team mainly focuses on chronic diseases. The services are provided in the settlements along the contact line and in places of IDP concentration. The plan is to also add mental health component to the services provided by the mobile clinic. MSF underlined the problems of access to the settlements along the contact line. A number of other organizations are also involved in mental health activities. SOS Children’s Villages operates both in GCAs and NGCAs. The target groups are children and their parents. The centers for community support have been established in Bilokurakine, Novoposkov, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Coordination Saves Lives | www.unocha.org Discussion Action Points/Decisions Starobilsk and Sievierodonetsk. The centers provide psychological support to the children and parents including foster families. Support is also provided to the hosting communities and to the people that are in difficult life situation. ACF will start “train the trainer” program. The pool of the local psychologists will be trained to provide psychological support in the settlements along the contact line on both sides and in remote areas of the oblast. Terre des Hommes plans to start the projects in NGCAs including playrooms for children and capacity building for local teachers. Considering the issues related to access to NGCAs, the organization is studying the option to start the project along the contact line of contact first. The meetings with the Education Department of Novoaydar and Stanytsa-Luhanska raions were held. Mercy Corps through its partner HelpAge International provides support to elderly people including small items distribution (glasses, sticks, hygiene kits etc.) together with psychological support in GCAs. 7. Livelihood/ Early Recovery UNDP to share details of the project with the authorities and partners. UNDP has launched an “Economic and Social Recovery of Donbas Region” Project aimed at economic regeneration of the region. The experts visited a number of sites in both oblasts with the purpose to select 5 strategically important objects for recovery. In terms of employment support UNDP launched the program of mini grants for new jobs creation by businesses.