Ukraine has received nearly $600 million under the World Bank’s SPIRIT project to support social protection for vulnerable population groups

Ukraine has received nearly USD 600 million under the joint World Bank–Ukraine project SPIRIT (Social Protection for Inclusion, Resilience, Innovation and Transformation).

The funds were provided by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) under the Loan Agreement signed on June 2, 2026, between Ukraine and the IBRD, in the total amount of USD 860 million.

The financing received includes USD 300 million under a loan supported by Japanese guarantees within the ADVANCE Ukraine Trust Fund, as well as USD 298.75 million under a loan backed by bilateral guarantees from the Government of the United Kingdom.

The funds are directed to the general fund of the State Budget of Ukraine as reimbursement of expenditures related to financing social benefit payments for the most vulnerable population groups, subject to the achievement of results-based conditions under the Loan Agreement.

To date, the Government of Ukraine has fulfilled three conditions, including: the introduction of a package of six types of social assistance for children and ensuring payments to at least 200,000 beneficiaries; the assignment and payment of 39 types of social assistance through the Pension Fund of Ukraine covering at least 1 million beneficiaries; and the adoption of a Cabinet of Ministers resolution launching a pilot project for the procurement of integrated social services for the development and care of children with disabilities.

“Grateful to the World Bank, as well as the Governments of Japan and the United Kingdom, for their support and for the launch of the SPIRIT project. Amid the war, maintaining an effective social protection system remains one of the Government’s key priorities. The financing received will help ensure the stability of social payments, support the most vulnerable citizens, and continue the implementation of important reforms in the social sector,” said Deputy Minister of Finance of Ukraine Olga Zykova.

The total size of the SPIRIT project is USD 880 million, including a USD 860 million IBRD loan and USD 20 million in grant financing through the Ukraine Relief, Recovery, Reconstruction and Reform Trust Fund (URTF).

The objective of the project is to support reforms in the social protection sector, including modernization of the social assistance system, development of social services, strengthened support for persons with disabilities and vulnerable families with children, and enhanced institutional capacity at both central and local levels.

In particular, SPIRIT will support the introduction of basic social assistance, the creation of a unified system for the administration and payment of social benefits, expanded access to community-based social services, and modernization of employment support mechanisms for persons with disabilities.

The project finances 18 types of social benefits, including support for families with children suffering from severe illnesses, orphans (including those in family-type children’s homes and foster families), persons with disabilities, large families, childcare services such as “municipal nanny,” child care support up to the age of one, “eNursery,” as well as other social assistance programmes financed from the State Budget and not related to military purposes.

In addition, the grant component will strengthen the institutional capacity of the Ministry of Social Policy, the Pension Fund of Ukraine, and the Social Protection Fund for Persons with Disabilities, including IT infrastructure modernization, training of social workers, and development of community-based social services.

The SPIRIT project will be implemented over 2026–2030 and will serve as an important instrument for strengthening the resilience of Ukraine’s social protection system during martial law and in the post-war recovery period.