Ukraine Community Recovery Fund Terms of Reference

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has resulted in the largest mass displacement of people in Europe since World War II; destroyed entre cites and communities; caused the tragic deaths of civilians, including children; wiped out decades of development gains; and pushed more than a quarter of Ukrainians into poverty. However, even under constant attack and amidst horrific devastation, people in Ukraine continue to demonstrate remarkable resilience and solidarity, organize themselves in community-based volunteer groups, rebuild as soon as it is safe to do so, and plan for their future.

Communities across Ukraine have been affected differently. Some in the west are hosting significant numbers of displaced persons and struggling to find adequate resources and maintain social cohesion; others in the central, south and north regions of the country are ready to move forward with recovery, reconstruction and returns. Communities in the east close to the frontline are still directly affected by the conflict and need significant humanitarian assistance, as detailed in the United Nations Ukraine Humanitarian Needs Overview and the Ukraine Humanitarian Response Plan of 2023.

Overall, across the country there is a need to design and implement community recovery efforts that can reduce and prevent humanitarian needs; support the social and economic fabric of communities; and provide the conditions for people to voluntarily return to their homes and rebuild their lives. These community early recovery efforts sit in the nexus of humanitarian, development and peace interventions and have a strong focus on social inclusion and cohesion.

The Ukraine Community Recovery Fund (UCRF) is a tool through which the UN will catalyze strategic recovery efforts, bridge gaps in recovery needs in targeted communities and pilot innovative recovery initiatives. It aims at supporting an inclusive, area-based approach that is in full synergy to the early recovery priorities as identified in the UN Transitional Framework (2022-2024) and the Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment. Community-level investments in reconstruction of housing, energy, social infrastructure, humanitarian demining, and support to livelihoods and local economic development are combined with targeted capacity strengthening for essential service provision and community mobilization. These interventions as a holistic package create conducive conditions for people impacted by the war to recover and rebuild their lives.