United Nations in Ukraine

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a global call to action to end poverty, protect the earth’s environment and climate, and ensure that people everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity. These are the goals the UN is working on in Ukraine:

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Press Release

01 October 2026

Refugees from Ukraine contributed an estimated 2.4 per cent to Poland’s GDP in 2025, according to new Deloitte analysis for UNHCR

In 2025, Ukrainian refugees generated an estimated 2.4 per cent of Poland’s GDP, equivalent to approximately PLN 94 billion (USD 24.4 billion), according to the third edition of the report “Analysis of the Impact of Refugees from Ukraine on the Polish Economy” prepared by Deloitte at the request of the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.The data shows that the employment rate among refugees from Ukraine in Poland increased by 7 percentage points compared with the previous year, reaching 76 per cent, a level comparable to the employment rate among Polish citizens. At the same time, there is no evidence that the increase in labor force participation has adversely affected employment outcomes for Polish workers. The findings show that refugees are increasingly supporting themselves through work. In 2025, employment accounted for 87 per cent of refugee household income, while the median net salary increased by 45 per cent between 2023 and 2025. In 2025, Polish social benefits accounted for only 10 per cent of their income, while benefits from Ukraine accounted for 2 per cent.A noticeable impact on the economyA larger number of employed people translates into a greater labor supply, higher consumption, and additional tax and social security contributions. As a result, according to Deloitte’s findings, refugees from Ukraine contributed an estimated 2.4 percent to Poland’s GDP in 2025, equivalent to approximately PLN 94 billion (USD 24.4 billion).“The economic inclusion of refugees can create benefits for both refugees and host communities. Refugees become less reliant on humanitarian assistance and instead become consumers and taxpayers, while strengthening their own self-reliance. The ability to support themselves through their own work is the foundation of independence for people who have been forced to flee Ukraine. Creating favorable conditions for their professional development, recognizing their qualifications, and providing access to career paths aligned with their education and skills enables them to make better use of their knowledge, skills and potential and to have an increasingly positive impact on the economy,” says Jun Shirato, Acting Representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Poland.Refugees are present in the labour market not only as employees but also as entrepreneurs. Approximately 13 percent of working-age people report being self-employed, and one in five of them employ other workers.“The Polish labor market has adapted well to the increased supply of labor from Ukrainian refugees. Companies are adapting through greater specialization and changes in their organizational structures. New employees often complement existing company resources rather than directly competing with domestic workers. This mechanism supports productivity growth and expands companies’ opportunities for development. Further potential lies in making better use of refugees’ qualifications and professional experience,” says Dr. Aleksander Łaszek, Senior Manager and Leader of the Economic Analysis Team at Deloitte.Untapped potential among refugeesOne of the main challenges remains the mismatch between refugees' qualifications and the occupations in which they are employed. Some 62% of working-age refugees have higher education, yet only 29% of those employed work in managerial, professional, or technical occupations.Among Ukrainian citizens holding a PESEL UKR number, 38% work in elementary occupations, compared with 9% among Polish citizens. One of the barriers is access to regulated professions. According to incomplete ZUS data, around 4% of people with PESEL UKR numbers work in such professions, compared with 12% of Polish citizens.Refugees in the healthcare systemAs labor force participation increases, the way refugees use public institutions is also changing. Healthcare is a good example. Rising employment means that a larger share of refugees access the system as insured individuals and contribute to its financing through social insurance contributions. In 2025, health insurance contributions paid to the National Health Fund (NFZ) by refugees exceeded the cost of healthcare services financed for them by PLN 50 million. At the same time, the growing number of doctors and other healthcare professionals from Ukraine helped alleviate staff shortages in the sector.The full report is available here: Analysis of the impact of refugees from Ukraine on the economy of Poland.

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Press Release

27 July 2026

The United Nations in Ukraine Continues to Support What Truly Matters: People, Families and Communities

In 2025, the UN helped communities withstand the impacts of continued attacks, displacement and consequent hardship while laying foundations for recovery during war. Nearly 7 million people benefited from strengthened electricity and heating services; more than 700,000 children and young people accessed learning and skills development opportunities; nearly half a million internally displaced people received targeted support. In parallel, 5 million people received emergency and life-saving support from humanitarian partners.   Throughout 2025, the United Nations helped Ukraine protect and invest in its people, focusing on the vulnerable communities and guided by the principles of Leave No One Behind. More than 200,000 people received legal assistance through a strengthened free legal aid system; almost 350 Resilience Centres and Veteran Hubs expanded access to community-based psychosocial and social support. Digital innovations also helped make education and social protection services more accessible to vulnerable groups. The UN provided strategic policy advice and technical expertise to advance reforms aligned with Ukrainian national priorities. This included support for labour law compliance with international standards; opening more opportunities for women, including in mine action; strengthening environmental governance in areas such as waste, water and forestry management; and advancing housing and social protection reforms. While the people-centered approach has been at the core of the UN response, our work would not be possible without the strong leadership of the Government of Ukraine and close collaboration with donors, international financial institutions, and civil society. The UN’s efforts in Ukraine were made possible by $914.4 million in funding from donor partners in 2025, including KfW, Japan, Norway, Sweden, the European Union, and others. In the second year of the 2025–2029 Cooperation Framework, the UN will stand with Ukraine in advancing a nationally led, inclusive, and green recovery that invests in people, strengthens communities and institutions, creates opportunity, and builds long-term resilience, leaving no one behind.Highlights of the UN’s work in 2025 include: Health, education and social support: From helping 732,000 people access social protection and providing assistive devices to 167,000 people, to supporting learning for over 811,700 students and digitalizing 2.75 million civil status records, the UN helped keep services within reach for people across Ukraine. Demining, decent work and infrastructure reconstruction: From keeping electricity and heating services running for 6.6 million people and teaching 1.3 million children how to stay safe from explosive ordnance, to surveying 1.6 million hectares of farmland and expanding employment opportunities for 23,000 young people, the UN supported safer communities and stronger local recovery across Ukraine. Environment, energy resilience, and green recovery: UN support helped drive Ukraine’s green recovery by strengthening water systems serving over 16 million people, clearing 600,000 tonnes of debris, and launching 139 green investments across 69 communities. Human rights, legal support and inclusive participation:  UN support strengthened justice, human rights and social inclusion across Ukraine, providing legal assistance to more than 213,000 people, restoring access to essential services for over 47,000 people across 56 communities and training 11,000 officers on international human rights standards.

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Publication

17 September 2026

Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict — August 2026

SummaryAt least 372 civilians were killed and 2,349 injured in Ukraine in August 2026. The number of civilians killed and injured was the second highest monthly figure in 2026, after July (448 killed; 2,675 injured).In the first eight months of 2026, more civilians were killed and injured in Ukraine than during the whole of 2025. Civilian casualties from January to August 2026 (2,222 killed; 13,058 injured) were 55 per cent higher than in the same period in 2025 and more than double than in the same period in 2024.*In August, long-range weapons (missiles and drones) remained the leading cause of civilian casualties, accounting for 47 per cent of the total (194 killed; 1,077 injured). Most casualties from these weapons occurred far from the frontline in urban centres.Short-range drones were the main cause of civilian casualties near the frontline (91 killed; 727 injured), accounting for 30 per cent of all civilian casualties in August.Civilians were killed or injured across 13 regions of Ukraine and the city of Kyiv. The highest numbers of killed and injured were documented in the cities of Kyiv (31 killed; 106 injured), Kherson (25 killed; 334 injured), Kryvyi Rih (16 killed; 147 injured), and Zaporizhzhia (11 killed; 131 injured).The verified figures include 4 civilians killed and 35 injured in territory of Ukraine occupied by the Russian Federation. According to public statements by Russian authorities on individual incidents in August, at least 85 people were killed and 498 injured in occupied territory and at least 113 people were killed and 736 injured in the Russian Federation. Due to lack of independent sources of information, however, HRMMU has not been able to verify the vast majority of allegations.Attacks surged against retail, food and logistics companies. Some of Ukraine’s largest companies – Fozzy Group, Epicentr, Nova Poshta, Rozetka, Aurora and Varus – were attacked at least 32 times, compared with 11 in July. In the Russian Federation, the companies Wildberries and Ozon were attacked at least 17 times.*January-August 2024: 1,392 killed and 5,496 injured; January-August 2025: 1,694 killed and 8,165 injured.

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Story

05 October 2026

Who Will Care for the Wounded? Supporting the Recovery of Ukraine's Injured Veterans Must Include the Women Who Care for Them.

As the full-scale war approaches its fifth anniversary, a growing number of Ukrainian veterans are returning home with amputations and other serious injuries. But what really happens when they come home, and who is there to receive them?When we talk about veterans’ recovery, we tend to picture the rehabilitation centre: a prosthetist adjusting a socket, a physiotherapist counting repetitions, the first steps between parallel bars. Those moments matter enormously. But the longer I work alongside veterans and the organizations that support them, the more convinced I am that an important part of recovery begins the day a veteran goes home. Recovery does not end at the clinic door. Prosthetic fitting and adjustments, mobility training, pain management, medical appointments and adaptations at home can stretch over months or even years. And much of that long road is walked at home, alongside a wife, a partner, a mother, a sister or a daughter. So, I keep coming back to one question: who will care for the wounded, and who will care for her?The Moment Nobody Plans ForUkraine’s need for trauma care and rehabilitation is immense. The World Health Organization (WHO) says rehabilitation needs already far exceed service capacity.Centres such as UNBROKEN or Superhumans are working at and beyond their limits, and the demand continues to grow.The International Organization for Migration has documented how needs can pile up for veterans with disabilities: health care, housing, income and mental health, all at once.What worries me most is what happens at the handover. A veteran who has been receiving structured support may return to a building with stairs, a bathroom that cannot fit a wheelchair, limited transport, and relatives who have never been shown how to help him safely. The challenges become less visible to institutions at exactly the point when they become part of the family’s daily routine.Let me be clear: an amputation does not automatically mean dependence. Many veterans will regain a great deal of independence. But some will need help with transfers, bathing, dressing, travel, equipment or paperwork. Discharge should spell out what the veteran can do on his own, which services will continue, and what a relative is actually being asked to take on. What “Family Care” Really Means“Family care” sounds warm and natural. But the phrase can hide who is doing the work, and what it costs her.Women already carry a disproportionate share of unpaid care and household work in Ukraine. When an injured veteran returns home, mobility assistance, hygiene, rehabilitation exercises and additional appointments can be added to responsibilities that may already include cooking, cleaning, caring for children or older relatives, and organizing medicines and household needs.The numbers are striking. According to UN Women, citing the latest Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment, women in Ukraine spent 55 hours a week on unpaid work, including care, in 2023, compared with 39 hours for men. By 2024, women were spending 56 hours a week on childcare alone, up from 49 hours before the war.These figures do not measure care for injured veterans specifically. But they show the amount of unpaid work women may already be carrying before another layer of responsibility is added.That additional responsibility can affect more than a woman’s time. If a veteran needs significant assistance, a partner or family member may have to reduce her working hours, turn down employment or training opportunities, or leave paid work altogether. In other households, she may become the main earner while also managing care at home. Either way, the consequences can extend to her income, independence and ability to make choices about her own future.The cost is not only financial. Care can require physical effort, emotional energy and constant coordination: arranging appointments, obtaining equipment, navigating benefits, managing transport and supporting someone living with pain or distress.These responsibilities may change as rehabilitation progresses, but they do not necessarily disappear when a veteran leaves the rehabilitation centre.This is why I believe we need to look at veterans’ recovery through a gender lens. The question is not simply whether women will provide care. It is what they are expected to do, how that work affects their own lives, and what support reaches them. The Risks We Must NameHomecoming can bring pressures that no family should have to face alone.A veteran may return with depression, trauma, chronic pain or phantom limb pain. Some may struggle with alcohol or other substance use as they cope with pain, distress or the difficulties of returning home. Relatives can offer emotional support, but specialist care and pain management remain responsibilities of health services.Families need to know that help exists and how to reach it.Roles at home can shift, too. A veteran may take on more childcare while his partner becomes the main earner. In another household, she may have to cut back paid work to provide care. These arrangements can work well, but long-held expectations about men’s and women’s roles can make them difficult to negotiate.We must also talk about safety. The UNFPA-led Voices from Ukraine 2024 study describes domestic and intimate partner violence in wartime, economic dependence, stigma and barriers to seeking help, including difficulties disclosing abuse involving men returning from war. It is qualitative research, not a measure of how often violence occurs in veterans’ households. But it highlights why caregiver support should include confidential information and safe pathways to assistance.For a woman living in an unsafe relationship, seeking help may itself be difficult. She may not have privacy to make a call, money to travel, childcare, confidence that information will remain confidential, or the freedom to ask for help without others in the household knowing. Economic dependence can make the decision even harder.That does not mean that injured veterans should be viewed as a category of perpetrators. Veterans with disabilities may themselves need protection and support. It means that services supporting families need to recognize that safety cannot be assumed simply because care is taking place inside a family home.And this is precisely why protection cannot be an afterthought. Asking a woman to disclose whether she feels unsafe, without having confidential referral pathways and appropriate support available, risks identifying a problem without giving her a safe way forward.Barriers Behind the Front DoorA service that exists on paper is not the same as a service a caregiver can reach.A wheelchair that works in a clinic may not pass through a doorway at home. Benefits, prosthetic services, housing assistance and psychosocial support often sit with different institutions, and families may have to find them, establish eligibility and pursue decisions while still providing care.A woman without childcare, or without someone to stay with the veteran, may struggle to keep her job, attend training or even go to her own medical appointment. Over time, this can turn an already demanding caring role into a constraint on her own health, income and independence.Voices from Ukraine 2024 identifies barriers including travel costs, limited accessible transport, lack of time, inadequate information, childcare responsibilities, stigma, distrust and concerns about confidentiality. These barriers matter particularly when a woman needs psychosocial, legal or protection support and cannot safely or privately access it.This is why support for the caregiver cannot consist simply of telling her where services exist. It needs to take account of whether she can actually reach them, afford them, attend them and use them safely.What Support Should Look LikeThe transition from rehabilitation to home cuts across health, veterans’ services, social protection, housing, livelihoods and the response to gender-based violence. A family may encounter each system separately, even though the pressures arrive together.The answer should therefore begin before discharge and continue after the veteran returns home.First, rehabilitation and discharge planning should assess both the veteran’s needs and the home environment. This should include what the veteran can do independently, what rehabilitation will continue, what equipment is needed, what adaptations may be required and what assistance, if any, is expected from relatives.Second, the prospective caregiver should be recognized as a person with her own needs, choices and rights. She should receive practical information and training for any tasks she has agreed to undertake, without services becoming conditional on her willingness to provide unpaid care.Third, families should receive clear, accessible information and help navigating services and entitlements. Rehabilitation, prosthetics, social protection, transport, home adaptations, childcare, psychosocial support and livelihood assistance should not become a maze that families are expected to navigate alone.Fourth, caregivers need support to protect their own livelihoods and well-being. Depending on the circumstances, this could include respite, childcare, livelihood assistance, flexible access to services and psychosocial support.Finally, protection must be built into the system safely and confidentially. Women should be given information about available gender-based violence services without being required to disclose abuse. Where a woman asks for help or a protection concern is identified, established survivor-centred referral pathways should be available and safe to use.None of this should diminish the veteran’s autonomy. Quite the opposite. A well-supported caregiver can help create the conditions in which a veteran can regain greater independence, while the caregiver is not expected to sacrifice her own health, income or future in the process. From Commitment to ActionUkraine will be caring for its wounded for decades. Government, civil society and the United Nations have an opportunity now to make sure that the transition from rehabilitation to home does not leave families to manage the consequences alone.For the Government of Ukraine and rehabilitation authorities, this means making the caregiver visible in discharge planning: assessing home conditions and continuing care needs, connecting rehabilitation centres with local health, veterans’, social protection and housing services, and making information on benefits, equipment and home adaptations easier to access.For civil society, veterans’ organizations, women’s organizations and organizations of persons with disabilities, this means strengthening the support around families: developing practical guidance and peer networks, helping households navigate local services and entitlements, and providing or connecting caregivers with psychosocial, livelihood, childcare and respite support.For the United Nations and international partners, this means helping build and connect these systems: bringing together expertise on rehabilitation, disability inclusion, livelihoods, social protection, mental health and gender-based violence; supporting government and Ukrainian organizations to develop family-inclusive approaches; and funding assessment and evaluation that measure outcomes for both veterans and the people who care for them.The first step is also to listen. The experience of women caregivers, injured veterans, rehabilitation providers and organizations of persons with disabilities should shape how these approaches are designed and where gaps remain. But consultation should strengthen action, not replace it.We should not have to choose between supporting veterans and supporting the women beside them. If we want injured veterans to rebuild their lives with dignity and independence, we must also make sure that the women who help them do so are not left to carry the weight of recovery alone.

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02 October 2026

Ukraine war ‘a human rights catastrophe’ that must end, says Türk

Addressing the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Mr. Türk said his office had verified some 15,280 civilians killed and injured in Ukraine during the first eight months of this year – on average more than 400 every week, and 55 per cent more than in the same period in 2025.“The full-scale invasion unleashed by the Russian Federation is killing and injuring hundreds of people every week, as frontlines barely move,” he said, noting that apartment buildings, schools, medical centres, railways and shops had been hit in recent attacks.Cruelty made manifestThe UN rights chief said a recent report by his office had found “shocking levels of sexual violence against civilians and prisoners of war”.Of more than 1,000 cases documented, 89 per cent were attributed to Russian authorities and 11 per cent to Ukraine. Most victims were men, particularly in places of detention, but women and children were also affected, primarily in occupied territory.“This is just one terrible manifestation of the cruelty that has come to define this war. Alongside peace, there must be accountability,” he said.‘Laboratory for drone warfare’Mr. Türk said people across Ukraine were living in constant dread, with air raid alerts in Kyiv active for 33 hours during one 48-hour period earlier this week.Near the frontlines, the use of aerial glide bombs by the Russian Federation in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia regions killed and injured nearly 2,500 civilians in the first eight months of the year; 62 per cent more than in the same period last year.“Ukraine is a laboratory for drone warfare,” he said, calling for urgent international action to deal with the carnage caused by these weapons around the world.Attacks on energy infrastructure and commercial property have increased sharply, he said, and Russian strikes on supermarkets and food companies are already causing temporary shortages of vegetables and dairy products in some areas. “As winter approaches, Ukrainians fear the worst is yet to come.”An estimated 2,000 people are trapped in Oleshky without running water, electricity or gas, he added.Civilian casualties in the Russian Federation have also reportedly increased, Mr. Türk said, though his Office has been unable to fully verify reports as it has not been granted access.He urged the Russian leadership to “consider what this war is doing to their own society”, which he said was sinking into fear, denial and a militarized economy “that puts death and destruction ahead of healthcare and education”.Mr. Türk also said he was alarmed by human rights violations linked to the presence of fighters from third countries.His staff have interviewed prisoners of war from 36 countries held by Ukraine, many of whom said they had been deceived into joining Russian forces. Steps towards peaceMr. Türk called for confidence-building measures based on human rights to rebuild momentum towards negotiations.These could include an agreement to end attacks on economic targets and energy infrastructure, local ceasefires on the frontlines, enabling civilians to leave – and a full exchange of prisoners of war.“To the international community, and particularly states with influence, I say: please take urgent action to push for a negotiated peace now, before this tragedy becomes even worse,” he said.Source: UN news.

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24 September 2026

UN General Assembly calls for protection of civilians and a just peace in Ukraine

This year, 130 Heads of State and Government are expected to take part, presenting their countries’ positions on the most pressing issues of our time.Opening the General Debate for the final time as UN Secretary-General, António Guterres stressed that peace, development and human rights are inseparable pillars of the UN Charter, and that human dignity and rights cannot be divorced from security and opportunity. “In Ukraine, Russia’s full-scale invasion has subjected a sovereign country to a brutal war in blatant violation of the Charter,” the UN Secretary-General said. “We must defend the Charter without double standards. Protect civilians without exception. Ensure humanitarian access without obstruction.”On 23 September, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the general debate, calling for an end to the war. Ukraine also featured prominently in discussions during a meeting of the UN Security Council. The discussions focused primarily on the rising number of civilian casualties, Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities far from the front line, the protection of civilians, humanitarian access to the territories of Ukraine occupied by the Russian Federation, and the need to achieve a just and lasting peace in accordance with the UN Charter. The UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, said: “In the first eight months alone, more civilians were killed or injured in Ukraine than during the entirety of 2025. The high number of civilian casualties reported so far in September indicates that this deeply troubling trend is continuing.”She reaffirmed support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and called for intensified diplomatic efforts towards an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire.Fifty-one UN Member States called on Russia to agree to an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire and to engage in meaningful peace negotiations. The joint statement was issued ahead of the UN Security Council meeting.Follow the General Debate at the link.

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16 September 2026

Sustaining lifesaving healthcare in eastern Ukraine

With funding from the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), UNOPS is delivering specialized medical equipment to help healthcare workers in eastern Ukraine save lives under severe wartime conditions.The road toward Kharkiv bears the unmistakable scars of ongoing war. Wrecked roadside infrastructure, fuel stations, and warehouses sit surrounded by overgrown summer greenery.In Kharkiv itself, just 30 kilometers from the Russian border, air raid sirens warning of incoming drones and missiles are daily background noise. For the regional healthcare system, this environment creates an overwhelming double challenge: treating a surge in complex blast injuries while managing the cumulative physical and emotional stress on the local population.To expand capacity where systems are strained most, UNOPS partnered with the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) to procure and deliver critical diagnostic and surgical machinery. The initial equipment arrived in the summer of 2026, with further high-capacity deliveries rolling out through the end of the year. Kharkiv & Izium support at a glance30 km from active frontlines in Kharkiv and Izium+15,000 annual surgeries supported at just one regional diagnostic centre24/7 care: Off-the-grid mobile diagnostic capability during active power blackouts and air raidsMulti-facility relief: Delivering critical machinery across city and regional healthcare facilitiesMobility for long-term recovery“Living with a prosthesis is a skill that needs to be learned and mastered.”
Andrii Chuhaiev, Medical Director at a regional rehabilitation centre.At a regional rehabilitation facility in Kharkiv, multidisciplinary teams of orthopaedists, physical therapists, and psychologists work alongside patients for months at a time, helping them adapt to limb prostheses.To support routine monitoring without causing patients unnecessary pain or movement, the centre received a battery-powered, mobile X-ray unit on wheels.“The new equipment opens up new abilities,” explains Dr. Chuhaiev. “Our patients often have multiple injuries, and the mobile X-ray allows us to check on all of them. It’s also mobile and autonomous, which means we can operate it in the shelter during an emergency, and it will keep working even if a blackout occurs.” Precision in the operating roomA few blocks away, at a major regional hospital performing over 15,000 surgeries annually, doctors face a different operational hurdle: treating multiple critical trauma cases arriving at the exact same time.A newly delivered surgical C-arm X-ray machine now provides surgeons with real-time, live imaging of bone structures during procedures.“We are now dealing with trauma that we had not been exposed to before the war,” says Anton, head of X-ray and diagnostics department. A challenge we face is that when an incident happens, multiple patients in difficult conditions arrive at the same time. The hospital needs to be equipped and staffed to treat them simultaneously. The new equipment addresses this issue for us.” Restoring essential care on the frontlinesSouth-east of Kharkiv, in the town of Izium ‒ less than 30 kilometers from active combat ‒ the local hospital continues to serve its community despite suffering severe damage earlier in the war.UNOPS and KSrelief delivered a specialized biochemical blood analyser and medical refrigeration units to stabilize the hospital’s blood bank, a vital lifeline for emergency surgical care. “The resilience of the medical staff we have met in Izium hospital is incredible,” noted Marysia Zapasnik, Head of Programme at UNOPS Ukraine and East Europe. “UNOPS is proud that together with KSrelief we are able to provide them with the precise tools they need to do their jobs safely and effectively.” Turning emergency response into sustainable careIn the rehabilitation wards of Kharkiv and the operating rooms of Izium, every new piece of equipment represents more than modern technology ‒ it buys vital time, protects dignity, and keeps life-saving care accessible under fire. By equipping frontline medical teams with tools built for blackouts and crisis conditions, UNOPS and KSrelief are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine's health workers, ensuring resilience is backed by the resources needed to save lives.

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16 September 2026

From Laos to Ukraine: A UN Mine-Action Adviser's Warning About the Future of Cluster Munitions

On the occasion of the Third Review Conference of the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Vientiane, Lao PDR, we spoke with Paul Heslop, Senior Mine-Action Adviser at the UN Resident Coordinator's Office in Ukraine. He shares his experience and perspective on a weapon system designed for the massed tank formations of the Cold War, and now evolving in real time on Ukraine's front lines. A warning from VientianeI am in Vientiane this week for the Third Review Conference of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, often known as the Oslo Convention. Adopted in Oslo, Norway, and opened for signature more than 16 years ago, the convention brought countries together to prohibit the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of cluster munitions.Every five years, states parties meet to assess progress, advance universal adherence and agree on the next steps. More than 100 countries have ratified the convention.I am here to present what we are seeing in Ukraine. Laos, however, is far more than a backdrop to this discussion. It is probably the country most heavily affected by unexploded ordnance from the Vietnam War. Ukraine is already on course to become one of the world's most heavily contaminated countries. If we are not careful, it could eventually surpass Laos in the scale of its contamination. We need to understand the consequences before that happens. What Cluster Munitions Actually AreCluster munitions are a distinct weapons system. They can be delivered by artillery, multiple-launch rocket systems or aircraft. A canister is fired or dropped and, at a predetermined height or distance, opens to release multiple submunitions, or bomblets. Under the convention's definition, a cluster munition contains multiple submunitions, typically eight or more.These submunitions can serve very different purposes. Some are anti-personnel weapons designed to produce lethal fragmentation. Others are anti-armour weapons, using shaped charges to pierce a vehicle's relatively thin roof armour and destroy its crew, engine or weapons systems. Some contain incendiary components intended to ignite ammunition depots or fuel storage areas.They may be effective against military targets, but they are an exceptionally hazardous weapons system. They are indiscriminate when deployed against civilians. An Area-Effect WeaponAt its core, a cluster munition is an area-effect weapon. A single canister dropped from an aircraft can cover an area equivalent to one or two football pitches. A battery of multiple-launch rocket systems can blanket an entire one-kilometre grid square, over one million square metres.Before the widespread use of precision-guided munitions, cluster munitions were designed primarily to destroy large, massed formations of Soviet or Warsaw Pact tanks and infantry advancing into Western Europe. That was the scale for which they were developed.Since the Falklands War in the 1980s, they have been used in nearly all major state-on-state conflicts, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon in 2006, and, extensively, Ukraine. Their use has also been reported in other contemporary conflicts. The Long Tail of Unexploded OrdnanceThe central problem is their failure rate. If a canister containing 100 submunitions is used and 10 to 20 per cent fail to detonate, then between 10 and 20 live explosive devices may remain on the ground after a single strike. These remain live and dangerous for decades.These weapons are typically used in dynamic environments against moving targets such as convoys and armoured patrols, but can also be used against static defence positions or harbour areas. Their use is often poorly recorded. A battlefield today may be a farmer's field tomorrow. In an urban area, it may become a school, health post, hospital, playground, or residential neighbourhood.That is when the long-term danger begins. Civilians often return soon after fighting moves on. Many submunitions, in effect, become victim-activated. Their arming mechanisms may depend on forces such as centrifugal spin or parachute drag, but are always incredibly sensitive to external forces. As a result, a device may appear inert while remaining one disturbance away from detonation.A farmer ploughing a field may tilt a shaped-charge submunition just enough to trigger it. A weapon designed to penetrate a tank can pass through a tractor, and the person operating it. A child who picks up a fragmentation submunition may, in effect, be holding a live hand grenade.Such a device may not technically meet the definition of a victim-operated mine. The consequences, however, can be much the same. This is why cluster munitions are treated as indiscriminate weapons under international humanitarian law. From Laos to UkraineThis is the throughline that brought me to Vientiane. Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam have lived with cluster-munition contamination for decades. Their experience offers lessons that Ukraine must absorb while the war is still active.At present, many areas targeted by cluster munitions in Ukraine are military positions that civilians cannot easily access. The real test will come after a ceasefire or peace agreement, and people begin returning to land they may not have seen for years.The indiscriminate nature of these weapons means that civilians, and especially children, could be most vulnerable precisely at that moment. A Dangerous New EvolutionWhat concerns me most is the way the technology is evolving.Cluster munitions once required relatively sophisticated delivery systems, generally available only to states. That largely confined their use to conventional, state-on-state warfare. This is changing rapidly.In Ukraine, we are seeing non-standard submunitions manufactured using 3D printers and delivered by drones. The combination of inexpensive, decentralised production and widely accessible delivery platforms dramatically lowers the barrier to entry. Both the quantity deployed and the areas contaminated are growing by the day.It moves the weapon system towards something capable of producing effects on a mass scale, arguably a weapon of mass destruction, and certainly towards consequences for civilians that are indiscriminate in character.Over the past six months, we have observed a shift from battlefield and frontline use towards reports of drone-delivered, 3D-printed submunitions being used against civilian areas. The pattern was initially reported in eastern Ukraine and is now spreading westward.Winter makes the danger even harder to manage. A submunition covered by snow becomes invisible while remaining lethal to anyone who steps on it or drives over it. When spring arrives and the snow melts, another wave of hazards is exposed. The Importance of DataNone of this is inevitable, but preventing a larger crisis requires reliable information.When strike locations, quantities used, weather and ground conditions, and soil types are not recorded, clearance becomes slower, more costly and more dangerous. With accurate data, clearance operations can be targeted and conducted far more efficiently. Without it, communities may live with the risk for years longer than necessary. Looking AheadWhy send a UN representative to a review conference in Vientiane?Partly, it is to demonstrate that the United Nations sees genuine value in the Convention on Cluster Munitions. The treaty has almost certainly helped save thousands of civilians from death and life-changing injury by reducing the use of an inherently indiscriminate weapon.But above all, I am here to argue against complacency.The world remembers the dangers posed by landmines, but people often forget how closely cluster munitions are linked to the same problem. A submunition can become victim-activated in practice, even when it does not meet the technical definition of a landmine.If we fail to address the evolution now under way, in technology, delivery systems and tactics, the civilian cost will be felt first in Ukraine. It could then spread as other armed actors, both state and non-state, learn from the conflict and adopt similar methods.My priority in Vientiane, and beyond, is to ensure that the lessons of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos reach Ukraine before that happens, not afterwards.

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Press Release

23 September 2026

Women are disproportionately affected by energy cuts, and their specific needs should be included in Ukraine’s winter planning, UN Women assessment finds

A key focus of the humanitarian community’s 2026-2027 Winter Response Plan is supporting more than 2.1 million of the most vulnerable people to cope with the expected renewed disruption to electricity, heating and water this winter. Greater attention to women’s specific needs and challenges, such as care responsibilities is needed.UN Women’s assessment shows how earlier this year women bore a disproportionate share of the energy crisis, facing greater financial strain, safety concerns and health impacts than men, and with fewer resources to cope. Nearly three-quarters of women (73.8 per cent) reported having no backup energy source, such as a generator, battery system or portable power station, compared with just over half of men (51.5 per cent). The pattern is likely to repeat this winter unless womens’ specific needs and challenges are taken into account. Women enter the energy crisis with fewer financial resources to absorb its costs and heavier care responsibilities. In 2025-2026, 56.3 per cent of women reported facing moderate to severe financial constraints, struggling to afford food, clothing or other essentials, compared with 35.4 per cent of men. Women were far more likely to be the primary caregiver for children (44.3 per cent, compared with 26.4 per cent of men), a responsibility that outages make harder to fulfil, from securing food and water to keeping children warm, clean and connected to schooling. Energy disruptions also directly affect women's safety, health, and unpaid care and house work: 41.9 per cent of women reported feeling less safe due to electricity or heating disruptions, compared with 24.3 per cent of men, and 38.5 per cent of women said the disruptions had negatively affected their physical health, compared with 22.8 per cent of men. Four in ten caregivers of children (41.1 per cent) and of persons with disabilities (43.1 per cent) reported spending more time on care. Households with children were more likely to report extra domestic work (around 40 per cent, compared with 30.5 per cent of those without children) and extra time securing electricity or heating (around 49 per cent, compared with 35.5 per cent). The strain is financial too: 18.1 per cent of people caring for persons with disabilities had to borrow money or take on debt, more than double the overall rate. Based on the assessment's findings, UN Women recommends the following measures for the 2026-2027 winter response, intended for the Government of Ukraine at all levels, the United Nations Humanitarian Team, funding and humanitarian partners: 1. Recognize caregivers, most of them women, as a priority group in winter targeting, and prioritize them in cash assistance and psychosocial support. This includes single parents, households with children under five, and those caring for older persons or people with disabilities. 2. Support households with heavy caregiving responsibilities to access batteries, power stations, generators or other backup energy solutions through cash or in-kind assistance. 3. Deliver cash assistance to economically vulnerable women-headed households before the peak outage months of December–February, and extend electricity and heating subsidies to them, including those in urban areas. 4. Make resilience points and warming centres safe and accessible for women, older persons, people with disabilities and their caregivers during prolonged outages, with heating, lighting, charging, connectivity, accessible sanitation and child-friendly study and play areas. 5. Monitor the winter response using data disaggregated by sex, age and disability, tracking outcomes such as energy access, cash assistance, caregiving burden and whether people feel safer, and involve women-led and women's rights organizations in preparing, delivering and monitoring that response. “Women are preparing for another winter energy crisis with even less access to security, livelihoods, education, healthcare and decision-making power. Yet as women’s needs grow, international humanitarian and development support that aims to reduce gender inequalities is diminishing. Investments in energy resilience and winter preparedness are being decided now, and it is urgent that they include women’s priorities and that women’s rights organizations have sufficient resources to continue delivering lifesaving and essential services this winter,” said Sabine Freizer Gunes, UN Women Representative in Ukraine. About the assessment The Gendered Impact of the Energy Crisis in Ukraine Assessment combines quantitative and qualitative research. The quantitative component was a nationally representative survey of 1,200 adults across Ukraine, including 732 women and 468 men, conducted on 25–26 February 2026 using the CATI method (computer-assisted telephone interviews). Numbers were generated at random using the prefixes of Ukraine's three largest mobile operators. The survey excludes Ukrainians currently residing outside the country. In addition to the national sample, a dedicated in-person survey of 800 adults was conducted in Kyiv. The qualitative component comprised 10 key informant interviews and 8 focus group discussions with women and men in Kyiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Odesa and Kharkiv. This assessment was commissioned by UN Women as part of its TransformCare Global Initiative and conducted by Voluntas, with funding from UK International Development from the UK government.

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Press Release

21 September 2026

UN Commission concerned about human impact of Russia’s systematic targeting of energy infrastructure, militarisation of education, and recruitment of foreign nationals

During the severe winter of 2025-2026, Russian armed forces continued to launch systematic waves of attacks against Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure as temperatures plunged to minus 20°C. More power installations, transmission lines, heat supply facilities, and gas facilities have been damaged or destroyed. Millions of civilians endured prolonged power outages, shortages or lengthy absence of heating.Civilians interviewed by the Commission described temperatures inside their apartments falling to the point where many developed health problems, including psychological conditions. A 74-year-old woman from Kyiv, living on the 18th floor, told the Commission that freezing temperatures, exacerbated by power cuts which frequently stopped lifts, left her cold and trapped. “There was no way to go in or out. I lay cold and hungry, without medicine, without anything,” she said. Ukrainian authorities recorded cold-related deaths and injuries. Those who could relocated during the coldest months.

“Continued attacks on energy infrastructure are making living conditions increasingly unbearable for civilians, and we are concerned that the coming winter will be more difficult to endure,” said Erik Møse, Chair of the Commission.The Commission has also followed reports concerning attacks carried out by Ukrainian armed forces on infrastructure in the Russian Federation and in Russian controlled areas of Ukraine. Those reports indicate an increase in civilian casualties and damage or destruction of civilian objects. However, due to lack of access and information, the Commission has been unable to investigate these incidents.Another issue investigated by the Commission focuses on the imposition of Russian patriotic and military education on Ukrainian children. Since 2022, the Russian Federation has strengthened and systematically emphasised patriotic education in its own curriculum, which it has extended to the occupied areas. Classes devoted to patriotic lectures about Russia have been added to school programmes, including for children as young as three years. Ukrainian children in occupied areas are forced to enroll in schools which follow the Russian curriculum, with teachings glorifying the Russian Federation. Non-compliance is met with threats and coercion.Modules on practical military training on the use of weapons and military drills are part of the mandatory curriculum for children from the age of 14. State-sponsored Russian youth organisations, which have increased their presence in occupied territories further reinforce patriotic indoctrination and military training. Exposure to patriotic and military training has a profound impact on children. Some find this system unbearable, choose to flee to territories under Ukrainian Government control, often alone, and encounter considerable security risks and hardships.A third area of the Commission’s ongoing investigations is the recruitment of foreign nationals to fight in the armed conflict. Many foreign nationals have joined knowingly and voluntarily both the Russian and Ukrainian armed forces.The Commission has focused on foreign nationals from a range of countries across different continents, who ended up serving in the Russian army through deception. Agents and intermediaries lured them promising lucrative civilian jobs and facilitated their travel to the Russian Federation. Soon after arrival, they were compelled to sign contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defence. The vast majority did not understand Russian or the terms of these contracts and found themselves serving on the frontlines.
Also, some foreigners present in the Russian Federation, including persons serving prison sentences, were coerced by Russian authorities to fight in Ukraine.Many among the recruits died shortly after reaching the frontlines, were reported missing, injured, or were taken prisoners by Ukrainian armed forces. Their families have been left in anguish to search from afar for information about the fate of their loved ones, while recruiting agents usually block their calls.As the armed conflict continues, the Commission is concerned by ongoing severe physical and psychological harm, grave hardships inflicted on the victims and their families, as well as the broader impact of the destruction. It reiterates the importance of both judicial and non-judicial accountability measures, including the provision of multifaceted support to the victims.The Commission will present findings of the ongoing investigations in its report to the General Assembly’s 81st session in October 2026.ENDSBackground: The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine is an independent body mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to, among other things, investigate all alleged violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law, and related crimes in the context of the aggression against Ukraine by the Russian Federation. The Commission comprises Erik Møse (Chair), Pablo de Greiff and Vrinda Grover.For media requests and queries, please contact: Saule Mukhametrakhimova, Media Adviser, Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, saule.mukhametrakhimova@un.org, or (+43-1) 26060-83450 or (+43-676) 3493464; or Todd Pitman, Media Adviser for the UN Human Rights Council’s Investigative Missions, todd.pitman@un.org or (+41) 76 691 17 61; or Pascal Sim, Human Rights Council Media Officer, simp@un.org.

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Press Release

15 September 2026

UNIDO advances practical solutions and partnerships for Ukraine’s water utilities

Held on 2-3 September under the title "From Recovery to Resilience: Green Pathways for Ukraine’s Water Utilities," the conference brought together water utilities and municipalities, national authorities, international development partners, technology and engineering companies, sector associations and civil society.Discussions focused on immediate operational challenges and longer-term modernization, including European standards, energy efficiency and independence, digitalization and smart metering, water-loss reduction, wastewater treatment, workforce development, international utility partnerships and preparedness of critical infrastructure.The conference marked the concluding stage of a broader UNIDO-Ukrvodokanalekologiya capacity-building initiative. Four technical webinars attracted 340 registered participants from water utilities across all regions of Ukraine, covering standards and technical regulations, sustainability and energy efficiency, ESG and energy management and water and energy conservation. The initiative also included a study visit to Dresden, Baruth and Berlin, Germany. Ukrainian utility representatives examined European approaches to wastewater treatment, renewable energy, energy-efficient technologies, utility management and implementation of EU directives, while exchanging experience with municipal utilities and sector institutions operating at different scales.
The Truskavets conference brought these lessons into the Ukrainian context. A session on the transition from emergency response to preparedness, restoration and development highlighted vulnerability-based prioritization, pre-positioning of critical equipment, physical protection, backup power and alternative water sources as complementary elements of utility preparedness.The conference also brought in complementary UNIDO expertise. Under the EU-funded EU4Green Recovery East Programme, findings from assessments of Ukraine’s wastewater treatment infrastructure, including three pilot plants in Drohobych, Kremenchuk and Pustomyty, highlighted priorities related to infrastructure reliability, sludge treatment, process-level data and metering, informing further work on process optimization and energy efficiency. Participants also addressed the sector’s human-capital needs. A concept for a practical training platform for water professionals in Lviv emphasized combining infrastructure investment with skills development through practical training environments, laboratories, simulations and professional standards.
Further sessions explored smart water management, digital metering and data-driven approaches to reducing water losses, sustainable investment, European regulatory requirements and cooperation between Ukrainian municipalities and international partners.The discussions identified opportunities for continued cooperation, including practical workforce training, stronger international partnerships, improved emergency preparedness, digital water management and infrastructure modernization aligned with European standards and local needs.Background:“From Recovery to Resilience: Green Pathways for Ukraine’s Water Utilities” is one of seven pilot initiatives developed under the project “Green industrial recovery through municipality-based development in Ukraine.” The pilots translate international expertise into locally tailored solutions in areas including energy-efficient municipal planning, circular economy, urban mining, wastewater treatment, integrated water and energy management, renewable energy and sustainable water management. The project is implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) under the UNIDO green industrial recovery programme for Ukraine (2024-2028), with financial support from the Government of Germany through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and in partnership with the Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine. The conference was organized in cooperation with Ukrvodokanalekologiya and Truskavets City Council.For more information:Dorina Nati, Industrial Development Officer, d.nati@unido.org
Maksym Kytsiuk, National Communications Expert, m.kytsiuk@unido.org

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Press Release

02 September 2026

World heading beyond 1.5°C warming, but urgent action can still prevent the worst

The report, Limiting Overshoot, identifies an ‘overshoot, peak, and decline’ pathway as the best remaining option to minimize the magnitude and duration of this overshoot and try to return to below 1.5°C as soon as possible. “This summer’s scorching heat, raging wildfires and deadly floods are a warning of what lies ahead. We must make the overshoot above 1.5 degrees as small and short as possible. That demands an overshoot of ambition” said UN Secretary-General Antőnio Guterres. This pathway would minimize peak temperature rise through immediate and sustained cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, including methane, on the road to net-zero, and bring down temperatures through long-term net-negative emissions, with carefully governed Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) – the process of removing carbon from the air and storing it through afforestation or other means – an essential part of the mix. At the same time, following this pathway would involve adaptation actions that reduce vulnerability to the current, expected and unexpected impacts of climate change on societies, communities and economies – although there will likely be limits to adaptation and irreversible impacts, especially if peak temperatures are not minimized. The report stresses such a pathway would reduce risks and impacts, make adaptation less difficult and expensive, and increase the chances of lowering temperatures. “There are no good outcomes if we remain above 1.5°C. Across the globe, extreme heatwaves are already proving that climate impacts will strike faster, hit harder, and last longer - costing more lives and causing deeper disruption,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. “Now is the time we must double down on climate action. We can – and must – get on the right path. By cutting greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening resilience and adaptation, and ensuring exceedance of 1.5°C is as small and short as possible.”Devastating impactsThe most optimistic scenario will see temperature rise peak at 1.8°C above pre-industrial levels, above the goal of limiting warming to 1.5°C set by the Paris Agreement. Most other scenarios predict higher peaks.Above 1.5°C, risks and impacts will intensify with every extra fraction of a degree and every year. Anticipated impacts include intensified extreme weather, ecosystem loss, and submersion of Small Island Developing States and low-lying coastal cities. Severe damage to human health, food security, water supplies, nature, cities, infrastructure, and economies is expected.The report warns that the likelihood of crossing irreversible tipping points increases with the magnitude and duration of higher temperatures. These include the destabilization of major ice sheets, degradation of the Amazon rainforest and disruption of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (the system of currents that moves warm surface water north and cold deep water south, playing a key role in regulating the climate). Some impacts may emerge abruptly, while others will accumulate over time.Considering the scale of the risks and the co-benefits of climate interventions such as a rapid transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy – improving air quality and public health, lowering energy costs and increasing access to electricity – the report urges accelerated, collective and global action to get on an overshoot, peak and decline pathway. How quickly and strongly this action happens will define the shape and trajectory of the pathway.Conditions for successStrong political will and multilateralism, effective policies, inclusive governance, and finance are all important enabling conditions for action – and equity and justice must underpin all responses. Countries with greater responsibility for climate change should act the fastest with the greatest ambition.The report also finds that mitigation and adaptation, which are mutually reinforcing, must advance together, while being responsive to emerging risks. Interventions that achieve both mitigation and adaptation goals – such as nature-based cooling – should be prioritized.Adaptation set up now forms the foundation for efforts to come, but it must become transformational and responsive to evolving non-linear and abruptly arising risks – including those that will harm mitigation efforts.The report emphasizes that net-zero is a milestone towards net-negative, with CDR needed in addition to, not instead of, sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. However, CDR can only contribute credibly to a return below 1.5°C if peak warming remains well below 2°C and all residual emissions are reduced. Strong governance frameworks for CDR will be critical to allow responsible deployment and manage implications for environmental integrity, equity, scale.Responding to a changed futureYears of inaction mean that even if a return to below 1.5°C is secured, irreversible losses and permanently changed conditions are certain. Many communities may be forced to relocate or change livelihoods, while societies will face the challenge of re-adjustment. This raises issues of justice, power, and political legitimacy, which will require new, inclusive governance arrangements to resolve difficult issues.This report is a reminder that an overshoot, peak and decline pathway is a next generation climate frontier, but one which cannot be left unattended to for the next generation to tackle. Immediate action is required for such a pathway to remain possible. NOTES TO EDITORSAdditional Quotes“Every fraction of a degree of warming above 1.5 leads to increasing and increasingly severe climate impacts, with our Pacific family standing on the frontlines. While we know the challenge is growing, so too is momentum. The recent energy crisis has reminded the world of the need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, accelerate the transition to renewable energy and bolster climate cooperation. COP31 is an opportunity to turn our ambition into action -- with Türkiye, Australia and the Pacific delivering a practical, solutions-focused COP.” – Chris Bowen, Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy, and President of Negotiations for COP31.“Every fraction of a degree matters, and every year spent in overshoot increases climate risks and the potential for irreversible losses. The Overshoot Report makes clear that exceeding 1.5°C should not be seen as a new destination, but as a pathway we must urgently work to minimize and reverse. This requires rapid and sustained emissions reductions, alongside ambitious adaptation to protect people, communities and ecosystems. COP31 must turn this urgency into concrete action. We need to accelerate global electrification, reduce methane emissions from waste, strengthen the climate resilience of cities, and enhance the resilience of marine and coastal ecosystems. At the same time, mitigation and adaptation should advance together. The choices we make today will determine how high temperatures peak, how long they remain there, and how safely we can return to 1.5°C.” - H.E. Murat Kurum, COP31 President-DesignateAbout the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.For more information, please contact:News and Media Unit, UN Environment Programme

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