On Monday, the United Nations revealed a funding requirement of $4.2 billion to facilitate humanitarian aid efforts in Ukraine for the year 2024 and assist the vast number of refugees escaping the war.
Although the Gaza war has captured recent attention, it’s crucial to acknowledge that Russia’s war in Ukraine is on the verge of entering its third year in February.
The UN aims to provide assistance to 8.5 million individuals within Ukraine and extend support to 2.3 million refugees along with their host communities in eastern Europe.
‘A recent wave of attacks underscores the devastating civilian cost of the war, while a bitter winter is ratcheting up the urgent need for life-saving humanitarian aid,’ the UN said.
February 2022 etched a new chapter in geopolitical upheaval as Russia spearheaded a full-scale invasion, a formidable event unrivaled in scale since the European theater of World War II, culminating in the continent’s most pressing refugee crisis since the years spanning 1939-1945.
The United Nations estimates that 14.6 million Ukrainians, constituting 40 percent of the population, will require humanitarian aid this year, with a primary focus on delivering assistance to the most vulnerable 8.5 million individuals.
‘Hundreds of thousands of children live in communities on the front lines of the war, terrified, traumatised and deprived of their basic needs,’ UN aid chief Martin Griffiths said in a statement.
‘That fact alone should compel us to do everything we can to bring more humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.’
“Homes, schools and hospitals are repeatedly hit, as are water, gas and power systems. The very fabric of society is under attack with devastating consequences.’
Griffiths and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, launched the plan at a joint press conference at the UN’s Palais des Nations in Geneva.
Some 6.3 million people have fled Ukraine and remain refugees, mostly across Europe.
The regional refugee response plan is seeking $1.1 billion and targets reaching 2.3 million refugees and host communities.
‘Millions of refugees from Ukraine still need urgent support,’ Grandi insisted.
Only half of school-age Ukrainian refugee children are enrolled in schools in host countries, said the UN, while a quarter of refugees in need struggle to access health care.
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Only 40 to 60 percent are employed, it said — often below their qualifications — while many remain vulnerable with no means to support themselves.
‘Host countries continue to extend protection and include them in society, but many vulnerable refugees still need help. They shouldn’t feel pressed to return because they cannot make ends meet in exile,’ said Grandi.
‘All refugees must be helped and given opportunities to use and build their talents to prepare them for eventual voluntary return when the situation allows.’
Ukraine’s internal humanitarian response plan for 2023 aimed at securing $3.9 billion, achieving a 64 percent funding milestone.
Overcoming access hurdles, including areas occupied by Russian forces, aid workers, as affirmed by the UN, managed to reach 10.5 million individuals in Ukraine during 2023.
The UN, in its global humanitarian appeals for the year, has strategically recalibrated its objectives, opting for smaller appeals to prioritize those in need, with the intention of securing more reliable funding.
This year is asking for $3.1 billion.
‘The response strategy in 2024 focuses on the people with the most severe humanitarian needs across the country, particularly those in the front-line,’ the UN said.
The intensification of Russia’s aerial attacks on Ukraine in the past weeks has been accompanied by a substantial reinforcement of its arsenal and a deliberate shift in its economic priorities, signaling readiness for an extended conflict.