Briefing the Security Council in New York, UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Joyce Msuya urged the international community to work to end the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, now in its third year.
A Ukrainian teenager stands in the rubble of her destroyed school in Zhytomyr (file).
‘Vast’ humanitarian needs
Turning to the humanitarian front, Ms. Msuya reported that needs remain “vast” as more than 14.6 million Ukrainians, roughly 40 per cent of the population, require some form of assistance. More than half are women and girls.
A $3.1 billion funding appeal for 2024 has so far netted $856 million, allowing humanitarians to provide assistance to more than four million people during the first quarter of the year.
She pointed to the “many challenges” humanitarians continues to face, chiefly lack of access to some 1.5 million civilians in Russian-occupied areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
“And as the conflict continues to escalate, and we look to kickstart preparations for another winter dominated by war, full funding of the humanitarian response plan is urgently needed to sustain operations,” she stressed.
End the suffering
Ms. Msuya said that fighting continues to rip apart lives, homes and futures in Ukraine more than three years since the escalation of the war, and the UN and partners remain committed to support affected civilians.
She warned, however, that “the longer the violence and destruction continue, the greater the suffering will become, and the bigger the task to rebuild shattered lives and communities.”
Concluding her remarks, she welcomed the Ukraine Recovery Conference that will be held in Berlin next week, calling it a key opportunity to advance the Government’s recovery priorities and leverage financing for critical development in affected areas.
“And we continue to urge the Security Council and all Member States to do everything within their power to ensure respect for the rules of war, pursue peace and bring the suffering of the Ukrainian people to an end.”