Inter-cluster Coordination

The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Humanitarian Cluster Coordination System  was activated in Ukraine since December 2014 when the armed conflict in the eastern oblasts of Donetska and Luhanska erupted in mid-2014. Ever since, the Cluster Coordination System has been playing an active and pivotal role in coordinating the humanitarian response in Ukraine as per its six core functions agreed by the IASC.

In response to the Ukraine invasion, the Cluster Coordination System has been augmented to scale up its coordinating role to cover the whole of Ukraine.

There are 10 Clusters, 3 Sub-Clusters and one Working Group operational in Ukraine.

Clusters

1. Camp Coordination and Camp Management Cluster led by UNHCR (newly activated in March 2022)
2. Education Cluster co-led by UNICEF and Save the Children
3. Emergency Telecommunications Cluster led by WFP (newly activated in February 2022)
4. Food Security and Livelihoods Cluster co-led by FAO and WFP
5. Health Cluster led by WHO
6. Logistics Cluster led by WFP (newly activated in February 2022)
7. Nutrition Cluster led by UNICEF (newly activated in March 2022)
8. Protection Cluster led by UNHCR
9. Shelter and Non-Food Items Cluster led by UNHCR
10. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) led by UNICEF

Sub-Clusters

1. Child Protection Sub-Cluster led by UNICEF
2. Gender-Based Violence Sub-Cluster led by UNFPA
3. Mine Actions Sub-Cluster led by UNDP

Working Group
Cash Working Group co-led by ACTED and OCHA

23 March

The Government of Ukraine has set up a dedicated website help.gov.ua, reflecting current needs and received assistance. [...] 

On 22 March, the Government of Ukraine issued a resolution amending the rules for delivering humanitarian aid from abroad. The only document now required for goods clearance is a declaration indicating the consignor, consignee, the place where goods will be unloaded, and type of relief delivered.

The recipient of the aid could be the respective Oblast CivilMilitary Administration, Ministry, or a specific community. In addition, the provision of the list of goods to be recognized as humanitarian aid has been cancelled; no additional procedure is required to import goods declared as humanitarian aid. Furthermore, 14 European countries have agreed to a permission-free transit of humanitarian aid to Ukraine. (OCHA - Humanitarian Impact Situation Report - 23 March 2022)

16 March

To facilitate a rapid scale-up of the humanitarian response to match the growing level of needs, the Government issued Decree No. 202 to streamline the delivery of life-saving assistance during martial law in the country, suspending all accounting and reporting requirements to do so.

This comes on top of Resolution No. 174, which simplified the customs procedures for importing humanitarian aid into Ukraine; Decree No. 224, which established a list of relief items that do not need to be recognized as humanitarian aid each time they are transported across borders; and Decree No. 132, which introduced a visa-free regime for entering Ukraine for foreign nationals employed by international medical and humanitarian organizations, funds, programmes and other organizations invited by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (during martial law).

Additionally, on 9 March, the Government issued Decree No. 238 recognizing fuel for vehicles as humanitarian aid, with the Ministry of Economy and the State Agency of Reserve responsible for overseeing the distribution of fuel as aid to humanitarian actors and other organizations providing assistance to affected people.

(OCHA - Humanitarian Impact Situation Report - 16 March 2022)