Reducing inequality within and among countries – Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Introduction

This article is a part of the series under the Sustainable Development Goal (“SDG”) – 10 of the United Nations, targeting “Reduce inequality within and among countries". The UN has always been giving the African region relatively greater attention to support people in terms of health and education. However, with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, more and more parts of the world warrant the UN’s attention. This third article will focus on the impacts of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

War in Ukraine and the Rise in Refugee figure

The escalation of the international armed conflict in Ukraine has caused civilian casualties and destruction of infrastructure, forcing people to leave from their homes to seek protection and assistance. As a result, millions of refugees from Ukraine have crossed borders into neighboring countries, and many more have been forced to move within the country. According to the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022, the total number of refugees outside their country of origin increased by 44% between 2015 and 2021, meaning that 311 per 100,000 people have become refugees. As of 23 May 2022, more than 6 million people in Ukraine had moved to other countries to escape the conflict, with at least 8 million people displaced inside the country.

As the war significantly exacerbates economic, social, and political disparities and hinders progress towards achieving SDG – 10, the UN has launched and continued multiple projects to tackle such issues.

How the UN is supporting the SDGs in Ukraine

On 25 February, the Secretary-General of the UN appointed Amin Awad of Sudan as Assistant Secretary-General to serve as United Nations Crisis Coordinator for Ukraine. With Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine passing the one-year mark, the UN has been stepping up to deliver lifesaving aid to those in need by providing emergency food, water, shelter, and medical care. Most notably, the UN Crisis Relief set up the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, where donations go directly to relief organizations delivering life-saving aid at the front lines of the crisis. This mobilizes people from all around the world to provide monetary support to vulnerable communities and people.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) also delivers core relief items, such as emergency shelters, thermal blankets, and sleeping mats, as well as providing specialist protection services for refugees. With the on-going destruction in Ukraine, UNHCR assisted the non-governmental organization ‘Mariupol Youth Union’ in opening the ‘Platform of Joint Actions’ Integration Hub to facilitate the active inclusion of internally displaced persons. This project has made significant progress, where the Zakarpattia region has hosted around 147,000 registered internally displaced people, and currently serves as a multifunctional space for all in the community.

UNICEF further supports children that have been displaced due to the conflict. Due to the war, 5.3 million children in Ukraine face obstacles to education, including 3.6 million children directly affected by school closures. Therefore, over the last year UNICEF helped rebuild war-ravaged areas into modern learning spaces, where the renovated school shelter is equipped with tables and benches for studying, soft blankets, and generators to keep rooms light and warm. Moreover, windows are filled with concrete blocks to protect students from attacks. With UNICEF’s efforts, 24 educational institutions were renovated with the construction of shelters, allowing face-to-face learning to be partly resumed in Ukraine.

Conclusion

While the destruction and impact of the war is still on-going, the UN has recognized the urgent need to address the social, economic, and political disparities exacerbated by the war. With various projects launched to support the affected communities, the UN seeks to mitigate the impact of the war and contribute to reducing inequalities in line with SDG – 10.

By Emma Lau