Provision of multi-purpose cash assistance in Khmelnitsky and Ternopil Oblasts, Ukraine To respond to urgent and increasing humanitarian needs in Ukraine, UNHCR will deliver multi-purpose cash assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in central and western Ukraine. 

Cash enrolment is now taking place in Lviv, Ternopil, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivska, Chernivtsi, Vinnytsia, Khmelnitskiy and Dnipro. Roll-out is planned for Cherkaska, Kirovohradska, Poltavska and Zaporizhzhia. Enrolment was initially launched in Lviv, Zakarpattia and Chernivtsi, with CERF funding, so many beneficiaries have already been reached in these regions. Now with expanded capacity in additional oblasts, UNHCR will begin reaching greater numbers of beneficiaries these new enrolment locations. This project will focus on cash assistance delivered in Khmelnitsky and Ternopil, Oblasts that have few partners working on cash but high numbers of IDPs.

Cash assistance allows beneficiaries flexibility to meet their most urgent needs in a dignified manner, while also supporting local markets. The recipients for emergency cash assistance will be identified in accordance with the established prioritization criteria agreed with the Cash Working Group (CWG Task Team #1 on Targeting Strategies and Criteria, 22/03/22), targeting single headed households, households headed by older persons, unaccompanied or separated children and households with one or more persons with specific needs. UNHCR has initiated enrolment with an inclusive approach, allowing for quick enrolment of eligible populations, with a particular focus on IDPs. With strengthened data quality and with the receipt of lists of vulnerable beneficiaries from the Ministry of Social Policy, UNHCR will increasingly move towards a cash assistance programme that targets vulnerable populations, while maintaining alignment with the Cash Working Group prioritization criteria.  

Enrolment is carried out in centres where IDP registration or other services are being delivered and in coordination with local authorities, to complement other assistance provided. Information on the programme is disseminated through social media, while leaflets are distributed to beneficiaries on enrolment. A total of 350 enumerators and team leaders have been recruited and trained on enrolment procedures with UNHCR’s registration and case management tool, proGres V4.

UNHCR actively participates in the CWG and is leading the CWG Task Team on De-duplication and Registration. Through its presence in a number of regions, UNCHR is actively contributing to local coordination of humanitarian response, including on cash assistance.

In addition, UNHCR signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Social Policy (MoSP) on 19 April that will allow for coordination and data sharing for the delivery of cash assistance and expand the number of beneficiaries UNHCR can reach. The 15 April Cabinet of Ministries Resolution also confirmed the alignment of UN, including UNHCR, cash programmes with the government programmes for IDPs. UNHCR will maintain multiple enrolment streams to continue scaling the number of people reached while also ensuring coverage of those harder to reach, such as persons living in villages or those without documents. This is further detailed below. 
As of 29 April, 162,015 people have been enrolled to receive cash assistance, while payments have been delivered to 96,357 people. As geographical coverage of enrolment has expanded and troubleshooting of some technical challenges completed, the pace of enrolment continues to increase, with 14,500 individuals enrolled in just one day on 22 April. 

UNHCR delivers UAH 2,200 per beneficiary per month, for a period of three months, fully aligned with the unified transfer value established by the Cash Working Group (CWG) (additional information on transfer modality in activity description).