Geneva
“There have been major attacks in Kiev that have created greater fear and panic among the population, with families really scared, moving alongside their children into subways and shelters, and this is clearly a terrifying moment for children across the country,” said Afshan Khan, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Regional Director, Europe and Central Asia, speaking in Geneva.
Wrong but ‘not irreversible’
The development follows renewed condemnation for the Russian move by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who on Thursday appealed for peace and allocated $20 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to meet urgent needs.
The use of force by one country against another is “the repudiation of the principles that every country has committed to uphold,” which applied to the military offensive in Ukraine, Mr. Guterres insisted.
“It is wrong. It is against the Charter. It is unacceptable. But it is not irreversible.”
Fuel, cash, medical supply shortages
“When we look at shortages, we’re talking about fuel, which has been well reported in the media, we’re talking about cash, because often in humanitarian situations, cash assistance would be our first support to families, so obviously there’s been a drawdown on banks,” said UNICEF’s Ms. Khan.
Echoing that message and in an appeal for guaranteed humanitarian access to the most vulnerable individuals, the World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted concerns that medical teams face being overwhelmed.
“We don’t have reports yet from the hospitals, when we look to particular injuries and the details of medical,” said Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative in Ukraine.
“Where our focus has been now, is that the prepositioned medical kits. We will run out of them soon, so what is important currently…is how to ensure new supplies to come and…[that] there are humanitarian corridors from the neighbouring countries available.”
Priority needs
UN agencies have been active in Ukraine for many years, particularly since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 – a move in large part rejected by the international community.
Immediate priorities include assessing what already vulnerable communities need in eastern regions of Donetsk, Luhansk and other oblasts.
“We are still trying to monitor what the situation is vis-à-vis civilian infrastructure,” said UNICEF’s Ms. Khan.
“As you know, there has been hits of critical infrastructure in the east, particularly in Donbass for some years and they have been cut off, hence the UNICEF water trucking [operations]. In the current scenario we are still trying to see which civilian infrastructure has been hit [and] where.”
Announcing the $20 million emergency funding allocation for the Ukraine crisis, Mr. Guterres underscored that the UN and its humanitarian partners are “committed to staying and delivering, to support people in Ukraine in their time of need.”
