Please refer to the attached file.
2. Rationale
2.1 Background
Since 2022, Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) has taken a leading role in the humanitarian response system in Ukraine.1 However, in the context of the 2025 Humanitarian Reset2 , the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) reprioritised humanitarian assistance through four strategic priorities3 . In line with this shift, the Cash Working Group (CWG) updated MPCA into issue-based Unified Cash Transfers (UCTs)4 , adapting unrestricted and unconditional, multi-sectoral cash assistance to the priority-based 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP).
Within this reprioritised framework, Strategic Priority 1 (SP1) focuses on supporting vulnerable hromadas living within 0 to 50 kilometres from the front line in selected oblasts, where households face protracted humanitarian needs linked to ongoing hostilities, disrupted livelihoods, and elevated costs of living6 . In turn, the Unified Cash Transfer for Frontline Response (UCT1) aims to provide predictable, harmonised cash to help vulnerable households manage these pressures, while remaining complementary to other forms of humanitarian assistance and emerging government social protection mechanisms7 . Given the approaching transition from the previous MPCA modality to the issue-based UCTs in Q1 2026, there is no evidence yet on the effectiveness of the UCTs in practice. Such evidence is essential for implementing partners in making data-driven and timely adaptations to the operationalisation and subsequent impact of the UCTs.
To address this gap, the assessment seeks to generate evidence on how UCT1 contributes to household-level outcomes in frontline areas. Specifically, it will assess how recipient households utilise UCT1 to meet their essential needs, to what extent UCT1 helps to avoid reliance on negative coping strategies, how sectoral risks are mitigated through UCT1 receipt, as well as how the transfer interacts with other forms of humanitarian assistance (including other UCTs) and relevant social protection programs.
Within this study, IMPACT will assess results of the provision of the UCT1 under Strategic Priority 1 (SP1). This transfer supports humanitarian response aimed at covering the protracted needs of vulnerable individuals in frontline oblasts (i.e., Chernihivska, Dnipropetrovska, Donetska, Kharkivska, Khersonska, Mykolaivska, Sumska, and Zaporizka) located between 0 and 50 kilometres from the frontline, with prioritization of areas within 20 kilometres from the frontline. The CWG estimates that approximately 850,000 people are eligible for UCT1 assistance.