Stories of Impact
A series highlighting achievements
in disaster risk management
Shaping Ukraine's
Recovery
REGION: EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA                The ongoing conflict in Eastern Ukraine has resulted
FOCUS: RESILIENT RECOVERY                      in instability and insecurity, heavily impacting the
COUNTRY: UKRAINE                               Ukrainian people with devastating social and economic
consequences. Beyond the significant losses of life,
physical and human capital have suffered severe
damage, leading to large-scale population displacement.
After the unrest escalated beginning in early 2014, the
Government of Ukraine sought to better understand
its impact and how to recover. At the government's
request, GFDRR, in partnership with the World Bank,
RESULTS:                                       the European Union (EU) and United Nations (UN),
*  The first phase of the Eastern Ukraine      helped assess the damage of Ukraine's conflict-affected
Recovery and Peacebuilding Assessment was   areas. Work began in late 2014 and consisted of a
conducted by over 90 experts in just six weeks.  joint needs assessment for recovery and peacebuilding
*  The assessment identified $1.5 billion in initial  undertaken by these institutions. GFDRR's support of
recovery, reconstruction, and peacebuilding  the assessment builds on recent engagements in other
needs, and provided recommendations in
three areas: restoring critical infrastructure
and services; improving access to economic  Nigeria, Lebanon, Yemen, and the West Bank and Gaza.
livelihoods; and strengthening social resilience,
initiating reconciliation, and peacebuilding.
*GFDRR's Rapid Assessment Methodology
was used, leveraging an initial $150,000
programmatic approach for recovery, with
the potential for larger World Bank recovery
projects to commence once conflict concludes.                        o       G   F  D    RR
Gbnd   aclityo r  iste duo  a y


CONTEXT:
The devastating conflict in eastern of Ukraine has
been ongoing since early 2014. Spurred by pro-Russian
separatists, who have seized control of parts of the eastern
oblasts of Donetsk and Luhansk, the conflict has resulted
in more than 7,000 casualties, with 18,000 wounded,
and more than two million people displaced. Its outcome
remains unclear.
Responding to a request from the Government of Ukraine,
GFDRR supported the World Bank, the EU, and the UN in
surveying the damage and applying key lessons drawn
from experience responding to natural disasters.
APPROACH:
GFDRR provided technical input to the Recovery and
Peacebuilding Assessment, leading in the area of
infrastructure and social services. In this area GFDRR helped
identify $1.26 billion in recovery needs directly resulting from
the conflict in Ukraine. The sectors in greatest need were
transportation, health, and energy.
This work was based on both post-conflict and post-disaster
methodologies, including the Rapid Assessment Methodology,
an analytical tool developed by GFDRR for assessing damage
in immediate post-disaster scenarios. This methodology
made use of remote sending, social media, trangulation of
data sources, and other techniques to accurately assess the
extent of the damage within a constrained time frame.
The full assessment was a highly collaborative effort:
additional input on economic recovery was carried out by the
EU, and the UN led on social cohesion and peacebuilding.    LESSONS LEARNED:
Now completed, this rapid assessment provides a framework    A conflict situation constricts the scope of assessment.
for recovery and reconstruction of eastern Ukraine's conflict-  Because of the onyoing conflict, some areas remained
affected areas. Lessons from GFDRR's Disaster Recovery      inaccessibe, significantiy imiting the amount of
Framework Guide and related case studies are expected to     data avaiabe. Moving beyond traditional static
factor into eventual conflict recovery plans.                assessments, a key priority will be to institutionalize the
NEXTphased approach of the Recove                                                       and Peacebuildin
NEXT  TEPS:Assessment, and use it as a basis for iterative
The ongoing crisis in Ukraine demands that the assessment    assessments and inputs into policy and proyramminy.
be a "living document," with mechanisms built-in for
ongoing adjustment and refinement as the conflict            Political developments can provide unique challenges.
continues to evolve. It is hoped to make an important        The yovernment was not abe to enyaye fuly in the
contribution to recovery in eastern Ukraine, for the benefit  assessment, iven parliamentary elections in October
of all Ukrainians.
of al Ukainins.2014 and the chanyeover of the yovernment followiny
More broadly, GFDRR will continue to leverage its expertise  the elections. In the absence of an inter-yovernmental
in responding to natural disasters to support reconstruction  coordination structure, the assessment teams had to
and recovery efforts in conflict zones.                     instead work directly with me ministries and technical
ayencies, leadiny to inefficiencies in carryginy out the
assessment. Moviny forward, it will be important to
Contact                                                      ensure strony yovernment eadership and coordinatiny
Shaela Rahman
srahman@worldbank.org                                        capacity..
www.gfdrr.org