New World Bank Project will Help Transform Ukraine's Social Protection System

Country: Ukraine Source: World Bank WASHINGTON, May 29, 2026 —The World Bank Board of Executive Directors has approved a social protectionproject for Ukraine that will provide assistance to more than one million people. Specifically, the project will support Ukraine's government in implementing a comprehensive package of reforms to modernize social assistance through a new system that links cash beneficiaries to employment and social service support, helping them to have greater access to jobs. The project will help transform social services financing and delivery and introduce a modern disability support system aligned with European Union standards. Implemented by Ukraine's Ministry of Social Policy, Family, and Unity, the $880 million Social Protection Project for Inclusion, Resilience, Innovation, and Transformation (SPIRIT) project will finance several social assistance programs for low-income households, vulnerable families with children, persons with disabilities, older persons, and caregivers. The project will also advance structural reforms to help reshape Ukraine's social protection architecture for the long-term, while strengthening the capacity of social service providers at the national and local levels. The SPIRIT project is comprised of a $860 million World Bank loan, supported by a $360 million credit enhancement from the Advancing Needed Credit Enhancement for Ukraine (ADVANCE Ukraine Trust Fund, supported by the Government of Japan), and a $500 million bilateral guarantee from the Government of the United Kingdom. The project also anticipates co-financing from Germany and the UK through a $20 million grant from the Ukraine Relief, Recovery, Reconstruction, and Reform Trust Fund (URTF). The SPIRIT project is an integral part of the international support package for Ukraine and the project’s structural...

Original source: Relief Web