The United Nations on Wednesday requested $5.6 billion (€5.2 billion) to meet the humanitarian needs of 11.1 million people in Ukraine and 4.2 million refugees and their communities in Europe this year cover.
“Nearly a year later, the war continues to cause death, destruction and displacement every day, and on a staggering scale,” UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said in a statement.
“We must do everything in our power to reach the hardest-to-reach communities, including those who are close to the frontlines. The suffering of the Ukrainian people is far from over – they still need international support,” he added.
This year, United Nations humanitarian organizations will need $3.9 billion to help 11.1 million people in Ukraine and $1.7 billion to meet the needs of 4.2 million refugees and refugees to cover their communities in various Eastern European countries.
Most of the refugee aid goes to Poland, the main host country for refugees in Eastern Europe, and to Moldova, through which many refugees transit before heading to other countries in Europe.
According to the United Nations, as of January, around 4.9 million Ukrainians had registered under the EU’s temporary protection scheme or similar schemes in other European countries following Russia’s February 24, 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
About 86% of the refugees are women and children.
“Europe has demonstrated its ability to take bold collective action to help refugees,” UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi said in the statement.
“However, we must not take this response or the hospitality of the host communities for granted,” he stressed, calling for “continued international support (…) until the refugees can return home in safety and dignity”.
In its call for donations, the United Nations notes that the war in Ukraine has “profoundly affected access to livelihoods and disrupted market stability, particularly in the southern and eastern oblasts, further exacerbating humanitarian suffering”.
According to the United Nations, food and other basic necessities are “still widely available” in most areas under Kiev control, but are “difficult for many people to afford without cash, vouchers or subsistence support”.
They are also “much more difficult to obtain in areas that are constantly bombed”.