The United Nations on Wednesday launched an appeal to the international community for $5.6 billion (about 5.22 billion euros) to help more than 15 million people directly or indirectly affected by the military escalation unleashed in Ukraine just over a year ago, when Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the order to launch an invasion.
The UN estimates that 40 percent of the Ukrainian population is currently in need of humanitarian aid, the result of devastation that has also pushed large numbers of people to flee the country. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that there are eight million Ukrainians in other countries.
Less than two weeks before the first anniversary of the invasion, the United Nations has put on the table a plan outlined by UNHCR and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that aims to cover the costs of hundreds of humanitarian organizations, both inside and outside Ukraine.
Of the total money requested, $3.9 billion would go to provide basic necessities — food, health care, cash, for example — to 11.1 million people, while the remaining $1.7 billion is concentrated on caring for 4.2 million refugees and host communities in a dozen countries — Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths warned that «the war continues to leave death, destruction and displacement on a daily basis» and at an «overwhelming» level. «The suffering of the Ukrainian population is far from over, they need international support,» he stressed in a statement.
UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi praised the solidarity of the countries hosting the refugees and the «extraordinary» work of civil society, a sign that Europe can take «collective action» to help people who have been forced to flee their homes.
«Refugees have not only been welcomed, but have been provided with temporary arrangements that entitle them to work, services and inclusion in national systems,» he added. According to the international agency, more than 4.8 million Ukrainians benefit from some protection framework in Europe.
However, Grandi called for «not taking for granted» the hospitality of the areas where refugees have arrived en masse and ensuring that these communities also receive the help they need until the refugees can return «in safety and dignity» to Ukraine.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
