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 | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk has called on the Georgian authorities to respect and protect the rights to freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly following several nights of protests that were marred by violence, and dispersed using disproportionate, and in some cases unnecessary, force by the police in the capital, Tbilisi.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said today he was extremely concerned about the recent escalation in hostilities in northwest Syria, which further compounds the suffering endured by millions of civilians.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , WHO , OCHA
Syria escalation: Civilians face deadly attacks, health care in distress and aid access compromised
The ongoing escalation of violence in northwest Syria linked to the wider conflict in Gaza and Lebanon has left civilians dead and injured, hospitals “overwhelmed” and attacks on healthcare on the rise, the UN warned on Tuesday.
2
1
4
Press Conferences , Edited News | OCHA
Multiple unending conflicts, climate change and a glaring disregard for long-established international humanitarian law are set to leave a staggering 305 million people in need of lifesaving assistance next year, the UN’s top aid official warned on Wednesday.
Embargo Wednesday, 4 December 2024 at 0600 CET / 0000 ET
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Rights Office on Friday warned about the plight of civilians in Ukraine after further attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure.
1
1
1
Edited News | ITU
An international panel has been set up to protect undersea communications cables that are crucial for international trade and security, the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said on Friday. The creation of the International Advisory Body for Submarine Cable Resilience comes amid an ongoing investigation into the severing of two fibre optic cables in the Baltic Sea, in less than 24 hours between 17 and 18 November.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | ITU
An estimated 5.5 billion people have access to the internet in 2024, an increase of 227 million people based on revised estimates for 2023, the UN specialized agency for telecommunications, ITU, said on Wednesday.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | UNAIDS
Launch of World AIDS Day Report 2024—Take The Rights Path
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
A joint report issued this morning by the UN Human Rights Office and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) paints a disturbing picture of the media landscape in the country since the Taliban takeover. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk says.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN human rights chief Volker Türk lent his weight to growing ceasefire calls in Lebanon on Tuesday, amid reports that the senior Israeli cabinet members were due to meet on a deal to end more than a year of conflict with Hezbollah militants, sparked by the war in Gaza
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNHCR , WHO
The past two months of intensifying Israeli bombardment in Lebanon have been the “deadliest and most devastating” in decades as communities uprooted from the front line have continued to flee across the border to Syria, UN humanitarians said on Friday.
2
1
3
Edited News | UNOG
“State of Silence”: Diego Luna brings the fight to protect the press to the UN in Geneva
Mexican actor, producer and director Diego Luna has brought his fight to protect journalists all the way to the United Nations, in Geneva. Together with documentary director Santiago Masa, he is putting a spotlight on the silencing of investigative journalism in his country, and on the incredibly high price that many journalist have to pay in pursuit of truth.