Uzhhorod – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has published a report on the situation, needs and future intentions of internally displaced people residing in Zakarpattia Region, Western Ukraine. The report was requested by the Zakarpattia Military Administration which will use the data to inform their needs-based integration strategy for displaced people.   

According to the report, almost half of displaced people in the region have been renting accommodation, while a further 26 per cent have been staying with friends or relatives, 15 per cent in collective centres, hotels or hostels, and 11 per cent have been hosted by strangers. Additionally, one third (34%) of displaced people are currently unemployed, mainly due to the war. Respondents noted that they had been looking for opportunities and would be willing to work in a variety of sectors, with trade (25%), services (17%), transportation (12%), manufacturing (11%) and education (11%) mentioned as the most relevant. Respondents also added that training courses in foreign languages, I.T. skills and business skills would enable them to find employment.   

“People's needs have been changing, and with the findings of this report we will be able to respond to them promptly,” said Petro Dobromilskyi, Deputy Head of Zakarpattia Region Military Administration, at the presentation of the report that took place in Uzhhorod on 09 May. IOM worked with the authorities to enhance local capacity to collect and analyze data for response programme development.   

“This report, facilitated by IOM, provided useful data allowing us to assess the situation in more detail and develop more effective programmes and strategies,” added Dobromilskyi. 

The report also highlighted that there is limited social interaction between displaced people and the host population, as only 30 per cent of registered internally displaced persons feel included in the local community. However, on a more positive note, the data shows that 90 per cent of displaced people in Zakarpattia Region have managed to access the local services they require, including general and specialized health care, psychological and mental support, disability support, kindergarten and primary education. The majority of internally displaced persons are still undecided about their future movement plans and require additional guidance and support from local authorities in covering their needs.   

“IOM is committed to working with regional and local authorities to address the immediate and long-term needs of both displaced populations and local communities affected by the war,” said Anthony Sequeira, IOM Area Coordinator in Western Ukraine. “The findings of the study highlight that long-term affordable housing, promoting social cohesion and creating job opportunities for internally displaced people are key areas that must be incorporated into future integration strategies in Zakarpattia. Further data collection and analysis will be essential for providing evidence to inform durable solutions programming, whether it be to support local integration, resettlement to other locations or, eventually, enable internally displaced people to voluntarily return to their areas of origin.” 

The data collection and support was carried out through funding from the Government of Canada. IOM and Canada’s partnership aims to enhance the resilience of Ukrainian communities by building capacity in the collection and utilization of data at the local community level. The data for this report was collected by researchers from Edelweiss, a Zakarpattia regional non-government organization, and analyzed by the National Institute for Strategic Studies and IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) team, in close cooperation with the regional administration. More than 4,000 respondents were surveyed — half of them internally displaced persons — in both urban and rural areas of all six raions [districts] of Zakarpattia Region oblast.   

The full report is available at:  https://dtm.iom.int/reports/mapping-situation-and-needs-displaced-people-zakarpatska-oblast-9-27-nov-2022.