The purpose of this assessment is to explore the opportunities and constraints to early recovery and development assistance in the Donbas region of Ukraine. In the context of this analysis, the “Donbas” is defined as the entire territory of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, inclusive of Government-controlled and separatist-held areas. As part of USAID’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) for Ukraine 2017-2022, the mission seeks to understand the recovery and development needs in this region, beyond present commitments of humanitarian assistance. Moreover, the assessment will examine USAID’s comparative advantage in addressing the future needs of the region.

The assessment team focused on answering two fundamental questions:

1. Are there distinguishing features of the Donbas that require specialized and targeted programming; or can uniform national-level programming adequately address conditions in the region?
2. How should USAID approach the transition between humanitarian assistance in the Donbas and longer-term development efforts and what are the critical recovery and development challenges in the fields of economic revitalization, governance, social cohesion, access to information, and infrastructure?

You could find full text of the assessment via this link.

Opinions and recommendations presented here do not necessarily reflect the official position and views of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) or the U.S. Government. The contents are the responsibility of the authors.

The American people, through the USAID, have provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for over 55 years. In Ukraine, USAID’s assistance focuses on three areas: Health and Social Transition, Economic Growth and Democracy and Governance. USAID has provided 1.8 bln. technical and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine since 1992.

For additional information about USAID programs in Ukraine, please visit our website: http://ukraine.usaid.govor our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/USAIDUkraine.