The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News | UNHCR , OCHA
Bi-Weekly Press Briefing Ukraine Crisis OCHA - UNHCR 22 February 2022
UN will stand by people of Ukraine amid rising tensions in East
UN aid agencies insisted on Tuesday that they will continue to support the people of Eastern Ukraine, following Russia’s decision to recognize the independence of areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk separatist regions.
Condemning the move by Russia, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement that he considered it a “violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and inconsistent” with the UN Charter.
During Tuesday’s press briefing in Geneva, the UN humanitarian office, OCHA, said that there had been reports of increasing hostilities in areas controlled by de facto authorities in recent days. “That is a stark reminder of the reality that children, women, and men in eastern Ukraine have faced for the last eight years. We call on everybody, on all parties to protect civilians and protect the civilian infrastructure in this very volatile situation”, stressed OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke.
“We are there and will continue to support the people in this region,” he added, pointing out that on Friday 18 February, a convoy had delivered supplies into non-government-controlled areas in the region. “So, the humanitarian response continues.”
But lack of funding is an issue and Mr. Laerke urged “the international donor community to help resource the mechanisms that are already in place for a coordinated UN humanitarian response”.
According to the UN’s 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan for Ukraine some 144,000 internally displaced persons live in government-controlled areas on Donetsk, Luhansk and other areas. The most vulnerable include older people, who represent 32 per cent of the people targeted for assistance in 2022, and the children of vulnerable families, who make up 14 per cent.
Also on Tuesday, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said that it was monitoring the “highly volatile and unpredictable situation” and stood ready to help in case any new humanitarian needs arise. Although the agency is not aware of any increased movements of population yet, there is a pre-existing displacement crisis caused by earlier conflict in Eastern Ukraine, UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo added - a likely reference to the 1.5 million people who’ve been forced to leave their homes since the onset of conflict in 2014.
“We’ve got a strong presence within the country,” she said. “We've been there for many years. So, the situation does remain unpredictable. But we do stand ready to support efforts by governments and other stakeholders to protect refugees and find solutions for people who are displaced in case there are any movements.”
The development follows media reports that two Ukrainian soldiers were killed by shelling overnight and 12 more were injured.
At a meeting of the Security Council on Monday night in New York, the UN’s political chief Rosemary DiCarlo warned that the risk of major conflict in Ukraine “is real and needs to be prevented at all costs”.
Ms DiCarlo told the Council that Russia’s move to recognize Donetsk and Luhansk’s independence was “in violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty” and risked having regional and global repercussions. Calling on all sides to cease hostilities, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet also expressed concerns that the escalation in military action increases risk of serious human rights violations.
end
SHOTLIST
- Exterior wide shot, United Nations Palace of Nations, Geneva. UN flag flying.
- Wide shot, press room UN Geneva, podium speakers on the left with TV screen showing participants on the right.
- SOUNDBITE (English): Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA): “We have seen reported increases in hostilities that is for sure. And that is a stark reminder of the reality that children, women and men in eastern Ukraine have faced for the last eight years. We call on everybody on all parties to protect civilians and protect civilian infrastructure in this very volatile situation.”
- Wide shot, press room UN Geneva, podium speakers in the middle with TV screens on both of their left and right sides.
- SOUNDBITE (English): Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA): “On Friday the 18th, there was a convoy that delivered supplies into non-government-controlled areas. In the region, so the humanitarian response continues.”
- Medium shot, masked participants listening and taking notes.
- SOUNDBITE (English): Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA): “There is an issue of lack of funding. So, we urge that the donor community to help resource the mechanisms that are already in place for the collective UN coordinated humanitarian response.”
- Medium shot, TV screen showing podium speakers in foreground, participant under the studio light to rear.
- SOUNDBITE (English): Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): “We've got a strong presence within the country. We've been there for many years and also in the region as well. So, the situation does remain unpredictable, but we do stand ready to support efforts by governments and other stakeholders to protect refugees and find solutions for people who are displaced in case there are any movements.”
- Medium shot, from behind-panel showing podium and participants.
- Medium shot, masked participants listening.
- Medium-wide shot, masked participants listening to the press briefing.
- Close-up, masked participant raising her head while listening carefully.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
As Yemen’s conflict reaches 10-year mark, over half a million children severely malnourished
In Yemen, a decade of conflict has been catastrophic for the country’s children living under the threat of airstrikes and staggeringly high malnutrition rates, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | UNAIDS
Amid continuing uncertainty about the impact of deep US funding cuts to humanitarian work worldwide, the head of the UN agency coordinating the fight against HIV-AIDS warned that an addition 6.3 million people will die in the next four years, unless the support is reinstated.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office today published a report detailing how death, injury and lasting family separation are among the traumatic events that have upended the lives of Ukraine’s children in the three years since the Russian Federation launched its full-scale invasion.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA , UNICEF , IFRC
Israel’s renewed bombing campaign and intensifying ground operation in Gaza are reversing gains achieved during the brief ceasefire, UN humanitarians said on Friday from inside the devastated enclave.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | HRC
The Human Rights Council on Wednesday heard gruesome testimony of torture, rape and execution of Ukrainian detainees and soldiers by Russian forces, as a high-level independent probe delivered its latest mandated report in Geneva.
2
23
1
1
Edited News , Press Conferences | UNITED NATIONS
Cyprus talks result in trust-building measures, show ‘new atmosphere’ among divided island’s leaders, says UN’s Guterres
UN-led efforts to kick-start talks on the divided Mediterranean island of Cyprus have resulted in agreements on new trust-building measures and also underscored the positive “new atmosphere” surrounding the discussions, Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday.
1
62
1
2
Edited News , Images | UNITED NATIONS , UNOG
Fresh talks over the future of Cyprus continued on Tuesday as representatives of the divided Mediterranean island gathered at the UN in Geneva along with guarantors Greece, Türkiye and the United Kingdom at the request of UN chief António Guterres.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG , WFP
The Government of Israel has ramped up settlement of the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, transferring its own population into the territory and unlawfully demolishing Palestinian homes. At the same time settler violence has increased with continued impunity, the UN Human Rights Office said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Following last night’s Israeli strikes in Gaza, Thameen Al-Kheetan, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, made the following comment at the bi-weekly news briefing in Geneva: “Weare horrified by last night’s Israeli airstrikes and shelling in Gaza, which killed hundreds, according to the Ministry of Health in the strip. This will add tragedy onto tragedy.”
1
9
1
1
Edited News | WMO
Glaciers in many regions will not survive the 21st century if they keep melting at the current rate, potentially jeopardizing hundreds of millions of people living downstream, UN climate experts said on Friday, the first World Day for Glaciers.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | HRC , OHCHR
The Iranian Government has continued to ramp up efforts to restrict the rights of civilians including young children as part of a concerted effort to crush dissent, investigators mandated by the Human Rights Council insisted on Friday.
2
1
1
Press Conferences , Edited News | HRC
Senior human rights investigators reporting to the Human Rights Council alleged on Thursday that sexual and gender-based violence by Israeli security forces against Palestinian men, women and children have been increasingly used “as a method of war” following the 7 October 2023 attacks that sparked the Gaza war.