Assessment of the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 in Ukraine

This report provides analysis of the pandemic's effects on Ukraine's public health, social, and economic sectors. It also offers recommendations for the country's response and recovery plan. The Assessment is part of the United Nations' efforts to support Ukraine in managing the pandemic's complexity and uncertainty, aiming to understand the immediate and long-term effects of COVID-19 on health and well-being, identify gaps in the current response, and suggest policy options for the future. The methodology included primary data collection through around 60 field surveys and secondary data from various sources, organized around five pillars of the UN framework for immediate socio-economic response to COVID-19: health systems and services, social protection and basic services, economic response and recovery, macroeconomic response and multilateral cooperation, and social cohesion and community resilience.

The document highlights the pandemic's multifaceted impact, exacerbating existing vulnerabilities and creating new ones, particularly among older persons, persons with disabilities, women, children, youth, and workers in informal and high-contact sectors. The findings emphasize the urgent need for expanded social protection systems, accessible healthcare, support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and measures to protect jobs and ensure education continuity. Recommendations focus on addressing the barriers to basic rights for the most vulnerable groups through comprehensive policy measures, including gender-responsive approaches, social protection expansion, healthcare access improvements, and support for economic recovery and job retention.

Furthermore, the document underscores the importance of a recovery plan that leverages the crisis as an opportunity for sustainable and resilient development, aligning with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and ensuring no one is left behind. This entails not only immediate health and economic interventions but also long-term strategies to enhance social protection, gender equality, formal employment, and digital infrastructure, among others, to build a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable future for Ukraine.