Ukraine

The war in Ukraine, now in its fifth year, continues to have devastating consequences for people inside the country while also threatening global food security. 

The war has caused one of the fastest forced population movements since the Second World War. More than 5 million Ukrainians are still living as refugees in Europe, while another 3.4 million are internally displaced. 

Many of those who stayed or returned have lost homes, jobs, and income. In frontline areas, access to food is often compromised due to daily shelling and drone threats, unsafe roads and closed supermarkets. Where food is accessible, many cannot afford it. Ukrainians living near the frontline are often forced to make impossible choices – such as sacrificing their own meals so their children can eat or going into debt to buy food. 

The World Food Programme (WFP) works with local partners to distribute food rations within 10 to 20 km of the frontline – with most of the food bought locally. WFP also provides cash assistance in frontline regions where people can safely and reliably buy food, and to people suddenly displaced, evacuated or affected by strikes.

Since March 2022, WFP has injected over US$2 billion into Ukraine’s economy through local procurement and direct cash assistance. WFP’s local procurement improves efficiency while supporting economic recovery and employment.

However, delivering aid has become increasingly dangerous. More than 80 attacks on  distribution sites, assets and vehicles of WFP or its humanitarian partners, were reported in the past two years. 

Meanwhile, continued attacks on port infrastructure threaten to disrupt global food supply chains and drive up prices – Ukraine’s food exports fed 400 million people each year before the war. 

WFP continues to advocate for the protection of ports and food supply routes and the safe navigation of food shipments, ensuring Ukraine can keep its role as the region’s breadbasket.