Press release

Ukraine. New intervention by Un Ponte Per

Thanks to the support of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) the Italian NGO Un Ponte Per (UPP) launches a new intervention to respond to the crisis in Ukraine

Rome, 5 April 2024 - The Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022 has led to a humanitarian crisis that remains on the agenda. As of February 2024, figures reported by UNHCR estimate that nearly 6.5 million people have left the country, and more than 3.5 million are currently internally displaced. Of these, 59% are women, and 25% children.

Serious violations against civilians, including those against children, have subjected millions of people to increasing exposure to trauma and mental health issues and have negatively impacted the mental and physical wellbeing and education of young people. It is precisely those young people who are at the forefront of the response to war and its humanitarian impact. Many have joined civil organisations, humanitarian coordination centres, working online to promote support for people in the temporarily occupied territories or to counter fake news and propaganda.

With this in mind, the Italian NGO Un Ponte Per has launched a new intervention to respond to the crisis in Ukraine. The project, entitled 'Joint Ukrainian-Romanian Initiative for Social Recovery, Inclusion and Community Cohesion', is funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), and is led by the Bukovinian Agency for Initiative and Development (BAID). On the ground it will be carried out by Un Ponte Per together with the Institute for Peace and Common Ground (IPCG) and Peace Action, Training and Research Institute of Romania (PATRIR).

The aim of the intervention is to promote social inclusion and the strengthening of cohesion between Ukrainian communities in Ukraine, as well as the inclusion of Ukrainian refugees in Romania, thus contributing to stability and harmony in the region.

Spaces for dialogue and psycho-social support for the development of sustainable and safer communities will be created, facilitating access to education, mental health services and life-saving information on the risks of explosive devices. In addition, processes of recovery and strengthening of social relations in communities or societies affected by the conflict and crisis will be facilitated. A total of 13,846 people will directly benefit from the intervention. Among them 4,478 minors and 5,522 women.

The areas of intervention include several regions of Ukraine, including the Oblasts of Chernihiv, Mykolayiv, Kherson, Dnipro and Kharkiv, along with Cluj-Napoca and surrounding rural areas in Romania. The main beneficiaries of this project are Ukrainian residents, internally displaced persons and Ukrainian refugees in Romania.

In addition to addressing immediate needs, the project aims to promote long-term resilience and integration by fostering a sense of community and mutual understanding across borders. Through collaborative efforts, this initiative aims to create lasting positive impacts on the social fabric of both countries.

Building on its 30 years of experience in peacebuilding in places of crisis such as Iraq and North East Syria, Un Ponte Per has started to collaborate since February 2022 with other organisations specialising in this kind of intervention to give visibility to the actions of peace and social cohesion, non-violent resistance, conscientious objections to military service and resilience to trauma of Ukrainian civil society.

A delegation from Un Ponte Per travelled to Lviv in April and June 2022 to deliver humanitarian aid by joining the 'Stop the war now' peace convoy and to meet with local civil society.

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This project is part of the Emergency Initiative for the Conflict-Affected Population in Ukraine and Neighbouring Countries (AID 012832) led by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation. With funding of EUR 46.5 million, the aim is to provide multi-sectoral life-saving assistance in areas directly affected by the conflict and surrounding areas with a high concentration of displaced persons. In partnership with 27 Civil Society Organisations, the AICS programme replicates and expands on the successes of the 2022-2023 Emergency First Initiative (AID 012600), which provided assistance to over 20,000 people through 14 projects with a focus in the areas of emergency, health, education and protection.