How can the state facilitate the effective distribution of humanitarian aid? Thoughts from participants of the Dialogue “Aid to War Victims: Effectiveness in Collaboration.”
On April 1st, the Aspen Institute Kyiv held the final event of the “Relief for Ukraine: Ecosystem of Support for Ukrainians” Program—the Dialogue “Aid to War Victims: Effectiveness in Collaboration.” The Institute implemented the Program on the initiative of CORE Response in Ukraine.
The event brought together participants from previous seminars, representatives from the Cabinet of Ministers, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, local governments, non-governmental organizations, and businesses.
During the first panel discussion, “Vectors of State Policy Development in 2024,” speakers discussed priority reforms and the necessity of legislative changes. Roman Hryshchuk, a Member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Oksana Zholnovych, Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine, and Yuliia Sokolovska, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, participated in the discussion. Liana Khorovytska, Ukraine Country Director CORE, moderated the discussion.
Oksana Zholnovych emphasized the need to revise the definition of humanitarian aid and its provision and distribution policies.
“Previously, we understood humanitarian aid as all goods moved across the border or donated by donors. Such a system, although somewhat understandable, was not sufficiently transparent. For example, the distribution mechanism did not always meet real needs: regions needing medicines might receive food products instead.”
Automation of Processes will reduce Human Factor Influence and help strengthen the effectiveness of the Humanitarian Sector
After the full-scale invasion began, the situation was critical, and people needed immediate help, so many restrictions were lifted. This year, an automated system for registering humanitarian aid has been introduced to optimize its movement.
“Automated processes, transparency, and clear criteria help us ensure maximum alignment with real needs. Besides, this minimizes human factor influence and allows for accurate accounting of all humanitarian aid.”
Oksana Zholnovych explained that creating an automated system goes beyond just accounting and control needs.
“We want to become a platform that unites communities to show their needs, organizations that can provide various humanitarian aid and the state. This is synergy,” added Ms. Oksana.
Roman Hryshchuk, Member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine
Roman Hryshchuk emphasized the need to update the humanitarian aid legislation. According to him, after the full-scale invasion began, parliamentarians had already made some changes. At the same time, it is necessary to develop a comprehensive strategy that meets current challenges:
“The norms of the previous humanitarian aid law did not match the reality of wartime. Therefore, in an emergency, our parliamentary working group developed ‘cosmetic’ changes that unblocked the process of providing humanitarian aid.”
Key Principles of Humanitarian Aid Sector Functioning
Mr. Roman discussed three key aspects to consider when developing a long-term humanitarian aid strategy:
- Ensuring the ease of operation for charitable funds, organizations, and everyone involved in importing humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
- The transparency of their activities.
- Taking into account the economic interests of the state.
“State policy is about constantly balancing these aspects, trying not to miss the moment. For example, if we ensure maximum accessibility for humanitarian organizations by allowing everyone to bring in anything without reporting (which we had in the first half-year of the full-scale invasion), national producers might suffer. Is such a mechanism necessary in a crisis moment? Probably yes. But later, overbroad rights lead to other problems – dishonesty, economic disadvantage, etc.”
Roman Hryshchuk emphasized that by focusing on the long term, a comprehensive humanitarian aid strategy needs to be implemented.
Yuliia Sokolovska, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine
In her speech, Yuliia Sokolovska recalled the beginning of the full-scale invasion. According to her, one of the critical tasks was coordinating the received aid, which included communication with international donors and involvement in identifying local needs to ensure as many affected people as possible receive the necessary goods.
“We had to convince international donors that the Ukrainian context differs from those they are used to seeing in other countries, such as Syria or Iraq. We couldn’t use the same protocols in Ukraine. We needed to synchronize efforts in terms of tools. One example is payments. International organizations use state registry data to identify individuals needing assistance, providing additional pension payments to those in conflict zones.”
Human Capital is the Basis of State Development
The new reality requires quick adaptation, says Yulia Sokolovska.
“Sometimes we tried to apply ‘peacetime’ reactions to wartime conditions, but that doesn’t work. We need a new regulatory framework and adaptation of existing protocols and legislation. Unfortunately, we are often not flexible enough to quickly change the regulatory and legal framework.”
Yulia Sokolovska also emphasized the priorities she sees in the country’s recovery. First of all, it is human capital. Its recovery has several components:
- Quality education and healthcare services;
- Improving living standards;
- Opportunities for self-realization (including economically);
According to Ms. Yuliia, coordination among all stakeholders at the state level is crucial, as every individual is invaluable.
Liana Khorovytska, Ukraine Country Director CORE
Moderating the discussion, Liana Khorovytska highlighted the importance of developing a coordinated mechanism for wartime humanitarian aid provision.
“Every day, thousands of Ukrainians need help. This includes urgent issues like medicine or shelter and longer-term needs like infrastructure restoration or adaptation assistance for displaced persons. All these needs are equally important. Therefore, the state, businesses, volunteers, and humanitarian organizations supporting Ukrainians must work within a single humanitarian ecosystem where everyone knows their role and workload. As aid providers, we aim to identify aspects that need strengthening in humanitarian activities and jointly develop mechanisms for such a system or platform.”
The program “Relief for Ukraine: Ecosystem of Support for Ukrainians” is implemented by The Aspen Institute Kyiv on the initiative of CORE Response.
