Residential building damaged as a result of shelling in Kyiv, February 2024. Ukraine’s needs for restoration and reconstruction are estimated at $486 billion Peace and Security
The war destroyed the Ukrainian economy, erased development gains made in previous years, and plunged nearly 25 percent of the country’s population into poverty. This is stated in a report released on Tuesday by the UN Country Office in Ukraine.
“In the third year of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the war continues to bring untold suffering and grief to the people of Ukraine,” the report says. “The invasion, launched in violation of the UN Charter and international law, resulted in the deaths and injuries of thousands of civilians, massive destruction of infrastructure, including hundreds of thousands of homes, hospitals and schools, and deeply traumatized people regardless of proximity to the front lines.”
To date, the UN has confirmed the death or injury of more than 30 thousand civilians, including 1,822 children, and this number is growing every day. Since the war escalated in February 2022, there have been more than 1,600 attacks on medical facilities. During the same period, more than 3,800 educational institutions and more than two million homes were damaged or destroyed.
As of January 2024, 14.6 million people in Ukraine are in need of humanitarian assistance, 3.6 million Ukrainians are internally displaced, and 6.34 million people have become refugees in Europe.
A blow to the fight against poverty
Russia’s invasion has reversed 15 years of efforts to reduce poverty in Ukraine, especially in families with children. An estimated 80 percent of children in Ukraine now live in poverty. More than 25 percent of households buy less food due to lack of income; 14 percent are forced to take out loans to cover basic needs; 12 percent cannot pay utilities.
The people of Ukraine have taken on the monumental task of rebuilding from the destruction caused by the invasion, the report’s authors note: “Ukrainians are supporting each other with astonishing and inspiring determination. Small shops are open; schools with shelters are being renovated and restored so children can attend in person; hospitals and clinics, roads and bridges are being reconstructed; demining of agricultural land and critical social infrastructure is underway.”
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Restoration needs are growing
The UN and humanitarian community and development partners continue to work to ensure that people living through the horrors of war receive the support they need to meet their most pressing needs, the document says. In 2023, more than 11 million Ukrainians received vital humanitarian assistance. This became possible thanks to the efforts of more than 500 organizations, almost 70 percent of which are Ukrainian NGOs.
With the ongoing war, the need for recovery and reconstruction is growing every day. Direct damage to buildings and infrastructure was estimated to be $152 billion by the end of December 2023. The hardest hit sectors were housing (almost $56 billion, or 37 percent of total damage), transportation, trade and industry, energy, and agriculture.
Environmental damage , remains difficult to quantify, and will impact Ukraine for generations. As of December 31, 2023, total recovery and reconstruction needs are estimated at $486 billion.
“The world must not accept war as a new reality”
The three thousand UN staff and 24 agencies working in Ukraine are committed to continuing to support the government’s priority recovery projects by investing in communities, human capital and national initiatives. But despite the progress made, these efforts are not enough to eliminate the devastating consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the document says.
“The world should not accept war as a new reality,” say the report’s authors. – Living under constant bombing, in constant fear, is not normal. Every effort must be continued to achieve a just peace in accordance with the UN Charter.”