The representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Ukraine, Karolina Lindholm Billing, says humanitarian aid to the war-torn nation is on decline, while needs have been increasing for more than two years.
This was reported by the
Voice of America
, Ukrinform saw.
According to the envoy, there have become fewer sources of humanitarian assistance bacause war-related humanitarian needs keep growing, and it is the most vulnerable population strata that will suffer from reduced funding and support.
The UN humanitarian plan for Ukraine for 2024 stands at $3.1 billion, including $599 million for UNHCR. However, both the global response plan and UNHCR's appeal were only 15% funded in the first quarter of this year, compared to 30% funding received in the same period last year, Lindholm Billing said.
As the war drags on, turning into what she calls an ultra-marathon, the official added that cash and humanitarian aid – in the form of goods and services, housing assistance, home repair, and psychosocial support, are now less frequent and less predictable.
She particularly noted the consequences of the Russian offensive in the east of Kharkiv region, as a result of which countless civilians are often left without basic necessities such as electricity and water supply.
She noted that those who still live in these border settlements are usually the elderly. Billing stressed that many vulnerable people simply don't have the resources or the opportunity to start a new life somewhere here in the heart of the country.
The UN representative also warned that if the number of displaced persons continues to grow, their reception and assistance will be a huge logistical problem. if 10,000 people turn into a million or more, that is going to put a huge strain on the system, she said.
Billing noted that as the war drags on and Russia expands its offensive, the biggest concern is that Ukrainians have no choice but to continue to flee. She also warned that the international community must not stand idle.
As Ukrinform reported recently, Danish Minister of Urban and Rural Affairs Morten Dalin, Danish Ambassador to Ukraine Ole Egberg Mikkelsen and the representative of the UN Refugee Agency in Ukraine Karolina Lindholm Billing learned about the consequences of the Russian military aggression and the progress of the restoration of the Borodyanka community in Kyiv region.