Additional Context: The protection sector's operational capacity has been particularly affected. This impact may be linked to the perception that protection activities are neither life-saving, as they do not appear in the initial Department of State waiver, nor align with current U.S. policy objectives. To mitigate these gaps, responders have relied on referral mechanisms to transfer caseloads where possible, although the number of organizational referral mechanisms operating has also decreased, suggesting some caseloads may be unresolved. Unlike other sectors, protection funding has not rebounded to comparable levels following partial reinstatements. This has impacted information dissemination, community outreach, capacity-building initiatives, and support activities in Ukraine – potentially resulting in fewer people accessing protection assistance.

The analysis draws on a survey ACAPS conducted to assess the impacts of the U.S. foreign aid suspension, specifically on the humanitarian response in Ukraine. Sixty-nine representatives of international, national, and local humanitarian organizations responded to the survey, the insights from which were also supplemented with a secondary data review of publicly available information and key informant interviews with 27 humanitarian and development organizations.

Source: ACAPS