Consultancy Services for a Needs Assessment on Inclusive Agricultural Livelihood Opportunities for Explosive Ordnance Survivors

## 1.Who is the Danish Refugee Council?

Founded in 1956, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a leading international NGO and one of the few with a specific expertise in forced displacement. Active in 40 countries with 9,000 employees and supported by 7,500 volunteers, DRC protects, advocates, and builds sustainable futures for refugees and other displacement affected people and communities. DRC works during displacement at all stages: In the acute crisis, in displacement, when settling and integrating in a new place, or upon return. DRC provides protection and life-saving humanitarian assistance; supports displaced persons in becoming self-reliant and included into hosting societies; and works with civil society and responsible authorities to promote protection of rights and peaceful coexistence.

DRC has had an uninterrupted presence in Ukraine since 2014 supporting the humanitarian response to the conflict from 2014 in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, eastern Ukraine. Since 2022, DRC is active across four of its core sectors in Ukraine – Protection (including PSS, case management, legal aid and GBV), Shelter and Settlements, Economic Recovery (including multi-purpose cash assistance and distribution of non-food items), as well as Humanitarian Disarmament and Peacebuilding (HDP). Within its HDP portfolio, DRC is the only organisation in Ukraine implementing four humanitarian mine action (HMA) pillars: Humanitarian Demining, Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE), Victim Assistance (VA), and Advocacy. DRC also founded the Victim Assistance Technical Working Group (VA WG) and has been co-chairing it since 2023.

The overall objective of the VA WG is to improve policies, structures and opportunities for survivors of explosive ordnance (EO) accidents in Ukraine. It also contributes to a comprehensive and standardized response, while coordinating respective activities through collaboration with other relevant ministries and actors, including EO victims representatives, survivor organizations and organizations of people with disabilities.

Currently, DRC has six offices in eastern, northern, and southern Ukraine (Kharkiv, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Donetsk oblasts and Country Office in Kyiv) that cover eight oblasts (including Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk) with 763 staff and scaling up activities across all sectors and areas of operations.

## 2.Purpose of the consultancy

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) in Ukraine is seeking a consultant to conduct an assessment that will inform the design of an integrated Victim Assistance (VA) and Economic Recovery (EcRec) programme supporting agricultural livelihoods for mine/ERW survivors with physical and/or visual impairments.

The consultancy will generate evidence on how injury-related factors affect survivors’ participation in economic activities, identify required adaptation measures and support services, and assess the availability and affordability of relevant solutions within the Ukrainian market. The findings will be used to develop practical, evidence-based recommendations for inclusive livelihood interventions, including feasible pathways for restoring or adapting agricultural income-generating activities.

## 3.Background

Amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis, the latest report from the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (UNHR) as of January 2026 reveals the devastating toll on civilians. In January 2026 alone, 161 civilians were killed and 757 injured. The number of casualties was similar to January 2025. Since February 24, 2022, the total number of civilian casualties from explosive weapons has reached 56,550, including 15,172 deaths and 41,378 injuries.

According to the Secretariat of the National Mine Action Authority (NMAA), 1,409 civilian casualties from mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) have been recorded since February 24, 2022, including 397 deaths and 1014 injuries.

However, these figures only scratch the surface of the true human cost. Many incidents remain unverified, especially in regions experiencing ongoing hostilities. The actual numbers are likely much higher, emphasizing the urgent need for international attention and assistance. Even if the war were to end tomorrow, explosive ordnance (EO) would remain a significant threat, continuing to endanger lives and limbs.

With the increasing contamination of territories by EO, the number of people with disabilities—caused by accidents, bombings, and shelling related to explosive ordnance or the war in general—is expected to keep growing.

The full-scale invasion has caused unprecedented losses to Ukraine’s agricultural sector, directly affecting both the national economy and global food security. According to the *Fifth Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment*, as of December 2025 the total damage to the agriculture sector is estimated at USD 12.1 billion. The destruction includes agricultural machinery and equipme