Is the international assistance to Ukraine enough? Will it help to build up a new Ukraine? These questions gain significance in the wake of international assistance pouring to the nation.
Despite assistance to the nation, a new analysis shows that international organisations and governments offering aid to Ukraine are not targeting their assistance effectively.
The research published in the peer-reviewed journal Public Money and Management, shows that the action of the international community have been neither cost-effective nor appropriate and too focused on the short-term.
ASSISTANCE
More than 15 billion dollar overall has been pledged so far in financial, technical and humanitarian support since Russia’s invasion in February triggered a human-made crisis. And a comprehensive analysis of 35 national governments including the US as well as half a dozen international organisations such as the World Bank shows they were swift to respond, The researchers said.
PRIORIOTSING
The researchers said that the focus should be to prioritise sustainable goals such as rebuilding the country post-invasion. Lead author Giuseppe Grossi said that their initial analysis showed paradoxical responses that gave priority not only to humanitarian aid but also to military aid, and focus primarily on short term measures. The author from Nord University carried out the analysis alongside Veronika Vakulenko – also based at the Norwegian institution.
Noting that the focus was not on long-term impacts and reconstruction of a free and democratic Ukraine, Grossi said that governments possess the ideas and political tools to handle the immediate effects of a human-made disaster. “However, they may lack both the capacity to use these tools cost-effectively and the appropriate strategies to meet the various needs in a responsible and accountable way. This is especially from a long-term perspective,” the author said.
SUPPLYING HELP
The international community has been united in extending support for Ukraine, Global organizations, national governments, fundraising organizations, and volunteers have also offered help with supplying weapons and other support packages for Ukraine, The authors say their research provided insights in assessing and revaluating support packages for human-made disasters and subsequent humanitarian crises.
Though help and donations were launched almost instantly, the tensions exist in the multiple international responses to supporting Ukraine The authors say that military support has varied from country to country with some countries being more open (eg Italy and the UK) than others (eg France and Poland) about what they have provided. The neutral status of others such as Switzerland has influenced their actions, and the authors say more financial transparency is needed over how aid is managed,
What the research suggests is that governments and international institutions might better address future crises by pooling resources from different nations, Those countries or international organisations that have effective transfers and assistance programmes for military, humanitarian and development purposes, will be able to address subsequent humanitarian disaster. This will reduce the harm of inequalities in Ukraine and neighbouring countries’ according to the authors. They add that future research is now needed to look back at the experiences during Russia’s invasion and draw important lessons from different countries about budgeting, humanitarian policies, accounting and financial auditing.