WASHINGTON, May 29, 2026-The World Bank Board of Executive Directors has approved a social protection project 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 reforms will directly advance Ukraine's EU accession agenda by fulfilling critical alignment requirements in social policy, disability rights, and labor market inclusion.
One reform consolidates the fragmented benefit programs into a single Basic Social Assistance program - creating a one-stop-shop for vulnerable families that connects income support to jobs and social services through an integrated case management system.
Another reform aims to transform social services financing into a model by which the government will fund social services based on people's needs, allowing clients to access services from a mix of community, nonprofit, and private providers. A third reform aims to transition disability support from a medical certification model to a person-centered system that assesses what people can do and what they need, and includes rehabilitation, assistive technologies, and employment support.
"Ukraine continues to experience a severe humanitarian and economic toll. Vulnerable households, especially those whose livelihoods have been significantly affected, require adequate support to mitigate the crisis' impacts, meet basic needs, and avoid falling further into poverty. This project supports reforms designed to reduce poverty, improve access to benefits, and ensure that support reaches those who need it most, even in times of crisis," said Bob Saum, World Bank Division Director for Eastern Europe.
In the last four years, World Bank-mobilized support, which includes strong protections and oversight measures, including audits to help ensure financing reaches its intended recipients, has enabled the Government of Ukraine to provide essential services reaching more than 20 million Ukrainians - including operations for health, education, energy, housing, agriculture, and small and medium enterprises.
