UN Seeks $1.7Bln To Support People In Ukraine, Refugees
Washington, March 1: The United Nations launched an appeal on Tuesday for $1.7 billion to provide humanitarian aid to people in Ukraine and refugees in neighboring nations.
“The United Nations and humanitarian partners today launched coordinated emergency appeals for a combined US$1.7 billion to urgently deliver humanitarian support to people in Ukraine and refugees in neighbouring countries,” the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said in a press release.
“The escalation of conflict has triggered an immediate and steep rise in humanitarian needs as essential supplies and services are disrupted and civilians flee the fighting.” The United Nations estimates that 12 million people inside Ukraine will need assistance, and more than 4 million Ukrainian refugees may need help in neighboring countries in the coming months, the release said. The UNHCR noted that the Flash Appeal requests $1.1 billion to help 6 million people inside Ukraine over the first three months. “The program includes multipurpose cash assistance for the most vulnerable people, food assistance, water and sanitation, support to health care and education services, and shelter assistance to rebuild damaged homes,” it explained.
“The plan also aims to deliver support to authorities to maintain and establish transit and reception centres for displaced people and prevent gender-based violence.”
The agency underscored that aid groups will need safe and unimpeded access to all areas impacted by the conflict. “With more than half a million refugees having fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries in the past five days alone, and many more expected, support is also required to meet the critical needs of those seeking protection outside the country,” the release went on to say.
“An inter-agency Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP) for the Ukraine situation asks for a preliminary $550.6 million to help refugees in Poland, the Republic of Moldova, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, as well as in other countries in the region in order to help host countries provide shelter, emergency relief items, cash assistance, and mental health and psychosocial support to those who fled Ukraine, including people with specific needs, such as unaccompanied children.” According to the UN, the hostilities in Ukraine have displaced at least 660,000 civilians. Last Thursday, Russia began a special operation in Ukraine, responding to calls from the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics for help in countering the aggression of Ukrainian forces. The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger. Moscow says it has no plans to occupy Ukraine. The same day, the UN allocated $20 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to immediately scale up humanitarian assistance for civilians in Ukraine.
