The United Nations fears a decline in humanitarian aid funding for Ukraine's population and refugees fleeing the Russian invasion, calling on Monday for $4.2 billion in 2024.
• Also read: Ukraine claims to have shot down two Russian commando planes
• Also read: Ukraine: More than 80 countries are discussing a peace plan
“Remember Ukraine? (…) A year ago we would have only talked about Ukraine, and now, for several weeks, we have heard very little about it,” explained United Nations Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator Martin Griffiths at the opening of the humanitarian appeal in Geneva in front of the media.
In an interview with AFP in Geneva, UN humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine Denise Brown said that “according to the information she has received from member states, (funding) will decrease this year.”
And “if we don’t have the level of humanitarian funding we need based on data and priorities, our assistance will decline,” she warned.
Specifically, the fundraising appeal to support the Ukrainian population living in the country amounts to $3.1 billion in 2024, compared to $3.9 billion last year – of which 67% has been funded. It is arguably the best-funded appeal in the world, Griffiths said, but the UN has scaled back this year and instead focused on the most urgent needs.
This prioritization of certain needs and certain regions does not mean that people are left to fend for themselves, but rather that there is a “better balance between what concerns humanitarian aid and what concerns development and reconstruction funds,” explained Denise Brown.
In addition to that $3.1 billion, there will be $1.1 billion in aid funds to be raised for Ukrainian refugees and their host communities – to help 2.3 million people. Around 6.3 million people have fled Ukraine, mostly seeking refuge across Europe.
According to the United Nations, 14.6 million people will need humanitarian assistance in the country this year, that is, 40% of the population, including 8.5 million who need to be reached as a priority.
“They need your help. They need your funds because humanitarian aid remains the lifeline without which they will perish,” Griffiths said, adding that “the Ukrainian people need us today as much as they did two years ago” when Russia launched its military offensive against Ukraine.
This year “competition for funding will be stronger,” he acknowledged, citing the “significant” costs of the Gaza war.
“Structure of society under attack”
According to Griffiths, 60% of the UN's humanitarian partners in Ukraine are Ukrainian organizations, “a testament to the community and patriotic spirit of many people in this country.”
The United Nations says the latest wave of Russian attacks is a reminder of the devastating cost of this war on civilians, at a time when a harsh winter is increasing the need for humanitarian aid.
“That’s my main concern right now: making sure people stay warm during these winter months. “This is a big concern,” Ms. Brown noted, also underlining “the determination” of the Ukrainian people to “stay at home.”
“Hundreds of thousands of children live in frontline communities, scared, traumatized and deprived of essentials,” Griffiths said in a statement.
“Homes, schools and hospitals are regularly attacked, as are water, gas and electricity networks. It is the very fabric of society that is under attack, with devastating consequences,” he stressed.
For his part, the head of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi, recalled that outside the country “millions of Ukrainian refugees still need urgent assistance.”
Europe's reception of Ukrainian refugees is “exemplary,” emphasized Mr. Grandi, who will soon travel to Moldova. However, according to the United Nations, only half of Ukrainian school-age refugee children receive an education in their host countries, and a quarter of refugees face difficulty accessing health care.
“Many vulnerable refugees still need help. They should not feel forced to return home because they cannot make ends meet in exile,” Mr Grandi said.