Ukraine

From the onset of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, most refugee arrivals have been women and children, creating unique challenges for integration. The share of women among adult refugees is around 70% in most host countries and many have arrived with children, with the share of minors around 30%. Most OECD countries are supporting the socio-economic integration of Ukrainian refugee women through their pre-existing mainstream integration systems. Refugee integration policies have been, however, often created with different gender and educational profiles in mind, which may weaken outcomes in the longer term. There are some promising targeted measures available in OECD countries to support the socio-economic integration of Ukrainian refugee women. These include counselling, networking opportunities, training, and work placements, but also general community-building activities aimed at women.

To support its most vulnerable citizens in the context of the Russian large-scale aggression against its territory, Ukraine needs both immediate actions and long-term policies. The war is exacerbating pre-existing disadvantages of children, women, elderly people, and people with disabilities. In the short term, actions are urgently needed to rebuild critical assets for providing adequate housing and access to quality basic services for all. Significant medium-to-long term employment and social priorities pre-existing to the invasion must also be addressed, such as youth unemployment and access of internally displaced persons to public employment services.