The Next Century Foundation is hosting a series of Working Group meetings on Ukraine. Should these be of interest registration details can be accessed on this link

Ukraine faces a harsh future with winter approaching and temperatures expected to plummet as low as -20 degrees Celsius.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, there are an estimated 7.1 million internally displaced persons that are living in both private homes and collective centres. Many live in homes that have been severely damaged from the war and cannot provide sufficient protection from harsh winter conditions. The Government of Ukraine claims that there are 244,000 facilities across the country, including schools and hospitals, that do not have gas supplies essential for providing heating and for cooking purposes. With the additional factor of the ongoing war making the upcoming winter season the worst that Ukraine has faced since the Second World War, this warrants concern.

The Next Century Foundation calls on the Government of Ukraine to be mindful when creating shelters, that they will not exclude any groups of internally displaced persons. This includes single displaced men as they often face challenges in finding shelter as women and children are prioritised.

Increased Nuclear Risk

The recent developments in Zaporizhzhia are extremely worrying and deserve increased attention. The Next Century Foundation recognises and commends the International Atomic Energy Agency’s call for an end to all military action near the plan. The Next Century Foundation supports calls for a ceasefire agreement around the perimeter of the Zaporizhzhia region. This is crucial.

Steps Ahead

Negotiations have been stalled for months and there should be a renewed drive to move towards a negotiated peace settlement for Ukraine.

If conversations cannot occur between the leaders of the two countries as of right now, there should be a push for other avenues of conversation through the use of lower level working group meetings. Working group meetings can be used to push the conversation along and in doing so work towards negotiation agreements between the two countries.

At the Next Century Foundation, we pray for the situation to find stability soon and that the international community comes together to aid all those that are suffering due to the war in Ukraine.