HIGHLIGHTS
UN releases 2017 Ukraine HRP, requesting $214 million to meet the needs of 2.6 million people
Insecurity along the contact line persists despite the December 24 ceasefire agreement
Extreme winter weather conditions result in increased humanitarian needs
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
On December 5, the UN launched the 2017 Ukraine Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), which requests approximately $214 million in funding to reach 2.6 million conflict-affected people with life-saving assistance in 2017. The plan prioritizes $127 million for critical activities that require immediate funding—such as protection and shelter interventions—to ensure the timely delivery of aid, particularly winter-specific assistance.
Violence between Government of Ukraine (GoU) and separatist forces escalated in areas of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in January, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) reports. Violence flared following several days of relative calm during a holiday ceasefire agreement facilitated in late December by the Trilateral Contact Group, which comprises Government of the Russian Federation, GoU, and OSCE representatives.
As of December 2016, members of the Shelter and Non-Food Item (NFI) Cluster—the coordinating body for humanitarian shelter and NFI activities, comprising UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders—had provided more than 50,000 people in conflict-affected areas of eastern Ukraine with winter-specific support, including fuel for heating, personal and shelter insulation, and the insulation of communal facilities, such as schools and other collective centers. The Shelter and NFI Cluster notes that winter-specific needs persist among conflict-affected households in the region, particularly those residing in non-government controlled areas (NGCAs).