UNHCR and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine strengthen cooperation in support of displaced and other war-affected people

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the State Emergency Service (SES) of Ukraine have intensified their long standing cooperation to efficiently respond to the needs of people affected by the ongoing war.  
During today’s meeting between Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR’s Representative in Ukraine, and representatives of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, both organizations reaffirmed their commitment to providing emergency support, humanitarian assistance, and improving the living conditions and access to essential services for vulnerable communities. 
UNHCR and the State Emergency Service and its local branches have cooperated closely since the start of the war in 2014. This cooperation has been further expanded in 2024 with UNHCR’s support to the Lyceum of Civil Protection of Lviv State University of Life Safety in Vinnytsia, which offers secondary education and social protection services to orphans, children deprived of parental care and children of SES employees who were killed in the line of duty. Upon the request of the State Emergency Service, UNHCR provided essential items such as beds, sleeping bags, solar lamps, and washing machines, to enhance the Lyceum’s capacity to accommodate displaced students from regions like Donetsk, Luhansk, and Dnipropetrovsk. With 75 students currently enrolled, this support is crucial to ensuring their well-being, access to education and specific services tailored to their needs.  

The partnership between UNHCR and SES has also expanded in Lviv, where UNHCR is in the process of donating a large, prefabricated structure. This structure, along with smaller tents, can be used by the Lviv State University of Life Safety to train emergency response personnel and serve as temporary housing, transit centers, or field hospitals during emergencies.  
"Our long-standing partnership with the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, dating back to the beginning of the war in 2014, is crucial in addressing both immediate and ongoing needs of war-affected communities. Following attacks, UNHCR’s partners are often among the first to provide humanitarian assistance and psychological first aid to the families impacted after the SES workers have arrived to launch the rescue effort. These brave rescue workers are putting their own lives at risk to save others, and more than 90 have sadly lost their lives in the line of duty since the start of the full-scale invasion. When SES reached out, if we could support the furbishing of the Lyceum in Vinnytsia for the children of some of these SES workers, we immediately expressed our readiness to contribute, within the scope of our available resources, so these children can receive the protection and education they deserve,” said Karolina Lindholm Billing UNHCR’s Representative in Ukraine.
“Firstly, I want to express my deepest respect and gratitude to the UN Refugee Agency for the unwavering support to Ukraine and the State Emergency Service in this extremely difficult time for our country. Thanks to close cooperation, units of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine continue to receive the necessary support to ensure the safety and vital needs of the population during winter and crisis situations. We are interested in strengthening further cooperation to ensure the recovery and development of safe spaces in the state and appreciate the constant assistance of international partners in providing material resources and increasing the level of preparation of our citizens for various challenges," said Roman Prymush, deputy head of State Emergency Service of Ukraine. 
UNHCR has been working closely with the State Emergency Service and its local branches since the start of the war in 2014. In 2015, UNHCR supported the establishment of a transit center in Sievierodonetsk, and provided tools to SES to repair damaged homes in isolated villages along the contact line. The cooperation also included support to improve the crossing and reception conditions for older people and those with limited mobility who were crossing the contact line to meet with their loved ones and access social and administrative services in Ukrainian government controlled areas.  
Throughout 2023-2024, UNHCR and SES have jointly conducted training programs focusing on fire safety and mine risk awareness for internally displaced children and adults in regions such as Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, and Chernivtsi. These programs have provided life-saving skills and psychological relief to those affected by the war.  
As both organizations look to the future, UNHCR is committed to further strengthening its partnership with SES to enhance emergency preparedness and response mechanisms and expanding safety awareness programs for internally displaced people, including those staying in collective sites, to ensure the protection, well-being and dignity of war-affected communities.