The United Nations announced on Monday that it needs $4.2 billion in 2024 for humanitarian aid to Ukraine and the millions of refugees who have fled the country since Russia's invasion nearly two years ago. "The recent wave of attacks is a reminder of the devastating cost of this war to civilians, at a time when a harsh winter is increasing the urgent need for life-saving humanitarian assistance," the UN said.
According to the UN, 14.6 million people will need humanitarian assistance in Ukraine this year, i.e. 40% of the population, of which 8.5 million will be reached as a priority. The appeal for donations for Ukraine amounts to $3.1 billion. It was $3.9 billion for 2023, but only 64% has been funded. Also this year, the UN decided to revise it downwards, choosing to focus on the most urgent needs.
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Hundreds of thousands of children are living in frontline communities, terrified, traumatized and deprived of the most basic things," Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths said in a statement. "This simple fact should compel us to do everything possible to bring more humanitarian aid to Ukraine." "Homes, schools and hospitals are regularly targeted, as well as water, gas and electricity networks. It is the very fabric of society that is under attack, with devastating consequences," he stressed.
6.3 million refugees
On refugees, Martin Griffiths and the head of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi, launched their aid plan at a joint press conference at the United Nations Office in Geneva, at the Palais des Nations. Some 6.3 million people have fled Ukraine and are refugees mainly across Europe.
The plan aims to raise $1.1 billion to help some of them, 2.3 million people, and their host communities. "Millions of Ukrainian refugees are still in urgent need of assistance," Grandi said. Only half of Ukraine's school-age refugee children attend school in host countries, according to the UN, and a quarter of refugees have difficulty accessing health care.
Only 40 to 60% of them have found a job, often below their qualifications. "Host countries continue to protect them and integrate them into society, but many vulnerable refugees are still in need of assistance. They shouldn't feel compelled to return home because they can't make ends meet in exile," Grandi said.