HIGHLIGHTS
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UN reports an increase in clashes throughout April, while continued displacement strains host community resources
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Assessment identifies lack of financial resources as primary reason conflict-affected families are unable to meet household needs
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U.S. Vice President Biden meets with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to reiterate U.S. Government (USG) commitment to the humanitarian response
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
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Violence between Government of Ukraine (GoU) and separatist forces escalated in areas of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts during April, according to the UN. Insecurity and bureaucratic challenges are limiting humanitarian access in conflict-affected areas, while limited availability of social services is straining resources in both non-government controlled areas (NGCAs) and GoU-controlled territory.
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On March 30, the Assessment Capacities Project (ACAPS)—an initiative of the Non- Governmental Organization (NGO) Forum in Kyiv—released the findings of its multi- sector needs assessment, which surveyed IDPs and conflict-affected households in Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhya oblasts between late February and early March 2015. The assessment is the first comprehensive effort to obtain data on conflict-related humanitarian needs. ACAPS found significant needs among all affected populations, but that humanitarian indicators are most severe in the NGCAs. A lack of financial resources—particularly among pension-dependent populations—to pay for essential goods and services is the main driver of needs. Inside the NGCAs, sustained conflict has caused a significant deterioration in availability of health services, safe drinking water, and—increasingly—food stocks.
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On April 20, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden met with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to discuss the crisis, according to international media. To date in FY 2014/2015, the USG has committed nearly $43.5 million to the humanitarian response in Ukraine.