UN calls on donors to provide $4.2 billion this year to support war-affected Ukrainians
Photo: e-cis.info
The United Nations and its partners have appealed to donors to provide $4.2 billion to support war-ravaged communities in Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees in 2024, Rubryka reports, citing Reuters.
"Hundreds of thousands of children live in communities on the front lines of the war, terrified, traumatized, and deprived of their basic needs," said UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths. "That fact alone should compel us to do everything we can to bring more humanitarian assistance to Ukraine."
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated that over 14.6 million people, or 40% of Ukraine's population, will require humanitarian assistance this year due to Russia's full-scale invasion.
According to OCHA, over 3.3 million people in need reside in front-line communities in the east and south of the country, including in Russia-occupied territories where access remains "significantly challenging."
As part of the appeal, OCHA is requesting $3.1 billion to aid 8.5 million people in acute need of humanitarian assistance in 2024. The UN Refugee Agency is seeking $1.1 billion to support 2.3 million Ukrainian refugees and the communities hosting them.
The Russian invasion, which began in February 2022, forced approximately 6.3 million people to flee their home country. According to OCHA, 4 million Ukrainians, including nearly one million children, remain internally displaced within the war-battered country.
"Host countries continue to extend protection and include them in society, but many vulnerable refugees still need help," said Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
He stressed that they should not feel compelled to return because they cannot make ends meet in exile.
As previously reported by Rubryka, the UN believes that 40% of Ukraine's population will require humanitarian aid this year. The war has also forced approximately 6.3 million Ukrainians to flee the country.
The UN notes that after Russia's full-scale invasion, people have endured nearly two years of relentless hostilities. Civilians die and get injured every day, and their homes and critical infrastructure are being destroyed.
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine documented gross violations of international law, including human rights, humanitarian law, and war crimes by the Russian forces.
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, at least 10,000 cases of civilian deaths have been recorded, with over 560 of them being children, along with over 18,500 cases of civilian injuries.
