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Kropyvnytskyi , Kirovohrad region - Today, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the Kirovohrad Regional State Administration signed a Memorandum of Understanding to further develop and expand the ongoing collaboration to support internally displaced people (IDPs) who have fled from frontline areas to the region in search of safety.
Since the escalation of the war in February 2022, Kirovohrad region has received tens of thousands of people forced to flee their homes and provided them with shelter and assistance. Today, the region hosts around 82,000 officially registered IDPs – and has in addition received evacuees from Donetsk region since August 2024. Recognizing displaced people’s urgent and ongoing needs, UNHCR and the Kirovohrad Regional State Administration have reaffirmed their commitment to continued cooperation in key areas of humanitarian response, protection, and social inclusion.
“I am very grateful to Kirovohrad Regional State Administration for their unwavering dedication to people who have been forced to flee their homes. In the face of immense challenges, they have demonstrated commendable compassion and solidarity, as the region and its communities have opened their homes and hearts to those seeking safety. UNHCR remains determined in its partnership with the administration, working on strengthening the protection services, expanding access to essential assistance, and supporting durable solutions that help displaced people rebuild their lives and ensure that they be included in the host community,” said Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR Representative in Ukraine.
"During these extremely challenging times of full-scale war, as Ukrainians continue to resist Russia’s armed aggression, we particularly value reliable partnerships, humanity, and solidarity. Your work embodies this support. We are sincerely grateful to UNHCR for the cooperation and systematic assistance, which is of great importance both for the residents of our region and for everyone who has found temporary shelter here," said Andrii Raikovych, Head of the Kirovohrad Regional State Administration.
UNHCR’s programmes in Ukraine aim to complement and reinforce the national, regional and local response – and the work spans from protection services, including psychosocial support, access to information, and legal counselling, to cash assistance and other types of support to IDPs and war-affected people.
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, UNHCR has assisted more than 200,000 people in the Kirovohrad region with different types of support such as cash assistance, legal counseling, and provision of basic relief items. UNHCR has also helped equip bomb shelters and invincibility points with essential items. Last winter season, UNHCR provided additional winter support to some 12,000 people across the region, while supporting authorities with generators and portable power stations to ensure the function of vital services during power outages.
A priority for UNHCR is to support displaced people in finding long-term solutions and be fully included in the hosting communities. This includes promoting people- and community-centered programmes that improve access to housing, livelihoods, and essential services. UNHCR has supported 31 local community-based organizations and initiatives in Kirovohrad, who are providing vital support to displaced people.
Looking forward, UNHRC is working in close cooperation with the regional authorities to ensure sustainable housing solutions for displaced families, for example. by providing temporary housing for IDPs, rehabilitating houses, and installing pre-fabricated modular homes. These efforts not only address immediate shelter needs but also contribute to longer-term solutions by supporting displaced people in settling in their new communities safely and with dignity.
Today’s Memorandum of Understanding is the 20th such agreement UNHCR has signed with regional state administrations in Ukraine. In addition, UNHCR currently has cooperation agreements with five line ministries – the Ministry of Social Policy, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Unity and with the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development – as well as with the Office of the Ombudsman and the Olena Zelenska Foundation.