The following is UNHCR’s response to questions received regarding the running and funding of its operations in Ukraine following the recent release of a documentary by TV4 Kalla Fakta.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, wishes to clarify key facts concerning the way it runs its operations in Ukraine and the way funds are received and used in this context.
We are disappointed that, despite extensive efforts to share information with and accommodate requests from TV4 Kalla Fakta, the report aired on 20 February 2023 only offers a partial and at times inaccurate picture of our work to the programme’s viewers.
Since February 2022, UNHCR teams have been fully mobilized in Ukraine, and in neighbouring countries hosting refugees from Ukraine, to deliver as much aid as possible in changing and challenging circumstances.
The needs remain dire but, thanks to generous contributions from donors, UNHCR has been able to assist over 4.37 million people inside Ukraine in 2022. Many of those assisted live in frontline areas which are heavily impacted by airstrikes and who were reached through one of the 695 humanitarian convoys organized by UNHCR in 2022.
Among those assisted, 1.7 million people received essential aid such as blankets, bedding, hygiene kits and heaters, 1.2 million people benefitted from protection services such as psychosocial support and legal counseling and assistance to replace lost documents. Close to 1 million people were also provided with direct cash assistance to cover their basic needs, also supporting the local economy.
Since the start of the crisis, UNHCR has received generous support from donors in Sweden. Donations from individual donors and the private sector were mainly channeled through Sweden for UNHCR, a separate entity with an NGO status that aims at raising awareness on forcibly displaced people and raising funds in support of UNHCR. These efforts are critical – we would not have been able to help so many people in Ukraine without this financial support.
To help people understand the impact of the ongoing war on civilians and how we are trying to help, we place the voices of those affected at the heart of our advocacy, fundraising and communication efforts, ensuring that they tell their own stories.
UNHCR follows strict ethical guidance with regards to securing the consent of people featured in our content, ensuring they are informed of the potential uses of the material and sign a consent form in a language which they understand. If we are later made aware of any issues linked to the consent for the use of content, for instance if people change their mind, we act accordingly.
The use of a picture from 2018 was a mistake. It was taken when UNHCR and our partners were providing help to people displaced by the conflict in the eastern part of the country. Our practice is to use current photos in our communication – and the photo will not be used again.
In the case of Yurii and Oksana, mentioned in the news report, we wish to clarify that the family signed a consent form, which was shared with them, and that we re-confirmed their consent recently. When Kalla Fakta asked us to share the form, we contacted the family but they did not agree. As they are quoted in the documentary as now agreeing, we will share the form with Kalla Fakta, in line with our ethical guidelines. In Gregoryi’s case, a consent form was also signed.
We wish to stress that, in our all our communications material, we clearly state that we provided Yurii and Oksana, with a Refugee Housing Unit. At no point did we say that we have helped rebuild the destroyed house.
Our humanitarian shelter programme only provides light and medium repairs to damaged houses and does not include reconstruction of completely destroyed homes. We offered to provide additional shelter support, including building materials, but the offer was declined as Yurii and Oksana had already received help from another organization.
For UNHCR in Ukraine, the priority from the start has been to coordinate closely with the national and local authorities and institutions, to complement and reinforce their efforts to assist those in need, and to work as much as possible with local NGOs. This is to maximize efficiency and harness local knowledge and UNHCR’s expertise and experience in situations of large-scale forced displacement and emergencies.
In Ukraine 12 of our 17 project partners are local and national NGOs, and we also work closely with some 200 Ukrainian community-based organizations.
We look at a variety of factors, including efficiency and cost-benefit, when deciding whether to implement directly or through partners – national or international NGOs. Our objective is always to reach the maximum number of people in need, with relevant assistance, in the shortest period of time. For example, our cash assistance program, which provided support to almost 1 million war-affected people last year, was largely implemented directly, and made up the biggest portion of our budget, namely $250 million delivered.
We also pay great attention to report transparently on our operations and the way the money allocated to us is spent. To do this, UNHCR shares its budget with donors, governments and the private sector. The full details are made available online for full transparency when auditing processes have been completed, according to the rules and regulations laid down for all UN agencies. For the 2022 calendar year, this report will be available in June 2023 (www.reporting.unhcr.org).
With regards to the salaries of UNHCR staff, we wish to clarify that they apply to all UN agencies and are decided by the UN General Assembly, made up of Member States. The salary scales are publicly available. In Ukraine, some 30 per cent of the net salary of our international workforce is made of compensations received for living away from their family and in a location where they are at risk of being injured or killed as a result of the war. UNHCR’s staffing budget for inside Ukraine represents 2.7% of its total budget for the country.
The UN estimates that close to 18 million Ukrainians need humanitarian aid inside Ukraine in 2023. UNHCR is one of over 650 actors supporting these needs in close coordination with the government of Ukraine. We remain committed to do our very best to deliver protection and assistance to the millions of people who have been impacted by this tragic war.
ENDS
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