The immediate humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine is of utmost importance and at the center of global attention. Early estimates by the Humanitarian Country Team in-dicate that nearly 30% of the population are likely to require life-saving humanitarian assis-tance. In its current scale and direction, 18 million people are projected to become affected and more than 7 million people internally displaced.

The development impacts of the war in Ukraine remain too much below the waterline of public visibility, in Ukraine, regionally and globally. Early UNDP projections suggest that already in the short- to medium term, the development setbacks for Ukraine will be sig-nificant. Poverty and inequalities will rise; the country’s economy, its social fabric, and the environment will suffer. Government of Ukraine estimates suggest that at least $100 billion 

worth of infrastructure, buildings, roads, bridges, hospitals, schools, and other physical assets have been destroyed. The war has caused 50% of Ukrainian businesses to shut down completely, while the other half is forced to operate well below its capacity. If the war deepens and protracts further, up to 90% of the population of Ukraine could be facing poverty and vulnerability to poverty.