Ms. Judith Böhnke, project manager at Financial System Development Department, Eastern Europe, Caucasus, Central Asia, KfW Development Bank, and Dr. Thomas Lothar Weiss, Chief of Mission at IOM Ukraine, signing the agreement

3 October 2017

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) – the UN Migration Agency - and KfW Development Bank, on behalf of the German Government*, have signed an agreement in Kyiv today to implement a two-year project that will assist some 2,000 conflict-affected people with developing new or improving existing income opportunities. 

“For more than three years Ukraine has been suffering from the military conflict in the east, close to 1.6 million people remain displaced across the country. Prolonged stays in host communities have put a considerable strain on resources. The project we launch today with IOM aims to contribute to the Government of Ukraine’s efforts to improve self-reliance and livelihood opportunities for displaced and conflict-affected populations, fostering socio-economic stability and well-being in host communities,” said Ambassador of Germany to Ukraine, H.E. Dr. Ernst Wolfgang Reichel.

Following a baseline socio-economic assessment and market analysis aimed to better understand the supply and demand for goods and services within specific income-generating sectors, through the network of its NGO partners across Ukraine, IOM will invite internally displaced persons (IDPs) and members of host communities to participate in the project. The initiative will target both people who have no prior business activity but can create a viable and economically feasible self-employment plan, and existing micro and small businesses that may have received limited prior grant funding but need additional resources to grow and scale-up.

IOM will train selected project beneficiaries on financial management, business law, accounting, marketing and business plan development. Following the approval of promising business plans, beneficiaries will receive in-kind grants falling under three categories: self-employment grants up to EUR 650, micro-businesses grants with a value of up to EUR 2,500, and up-scaling grants up to EUR 5,000 for established businesses owned by IDPs and host community members previously awarded with grants and demonstrating growth potential.  

“Thanks to the support from Germany, IOM will continue offering inclusive and community-centred livelihood assistance that stresses participation, social cohesion and equitable access to opportunities in order to equip both IDPs and host community members with the means and resources to progressively address economic challenges related to the crisis,” said the Chief of Mission at IOM Ukraine, Dr. Thomas Lothar Weiss.  “Since 2014, IOM, with funding from its donors, provided grants for vocational training, self-employment or micro-business to over 5,500 IDPs and conflict-affected people in 24 regions of Ukraine. Ninety per cent of IOM livelihood projects’ beneficiaries aim to further develop their business activities,” he added.

*The German contribution to this project amounts to EUR 5 million and is provided by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung, BMZ) via KfW Development Bank. KfW Development Bank is a branch of KfW Bankengruppe, Germany's leading promotional bank for the domestic economy as well as for developing and transition countries. KfW's capital is held by the Federal Republic of Germany and German federal states.

For further information, please contact IOM Ukraine Communications Officer Varvara Zhluktenko, tel: +38 044 568 50 15, email: vzhluktenko@iom.int