The war in Ukraine has created a protracted humanitarian crisis marked by intensifying aerial bombardments, hostilities, and systemic attacks on critical energy and civilian infrastructure, which significantly worsened during a severe 2025–2026 winter. This instability has caused large-scale displacement, with 3.4 million people internally displaced and 5.8 million recorded as refugees globally, most of whom face socio-economic pressures in European host countries, including rising living costs and diminishing international aid. The conflict has profoundly impacted the most vulnerable, particularly regarding sexual and reproductive health (SRH) due to infrastructure damage, while also escalating protection risks such as gender-based violence (GBV), psychosocial distress, and limited access to essential services for marginalized groups.

During the first half of 2026, UNFPA accelerated a strategic pivot in its regional Ukraine crisis response, shifting from emergency service provision toward institutionalizing critical SRH and GBV services within national health and protection systems to ensure sustainability and localization. UNFPA prioritized national ownership by integrating SRH services into state health systems while transitioning safe spaces and other protection services into government-funded or civil society-operated centres. Additionally, UNFPA advanced specialized, survivor-centred GBV services, economic empowerment initiatives, and targeted youth resilience programmes.

Although UNFPA has nominally secured 90 per cent of its $61.5 million regional requirement for 2026, this figure obscures a significant funding gap, as budget targets were reduced at the end of 2025 to prioritize the most vulnerable rather than reflecting a decrease in actual needs. Current resources are insufficient to balance immediate life-saving care with the transition to long-term recovery, particularly given the deteriorating humanitarian context and upcoming winterization challenges. Because the current appeal fails to cover the full scope of GBV and SRH needs, it is imperative to secure 2027 funding early and transition from 12-month project cycles to sustained, multi-year support.