STORYLINE

The UN and humanitarian partners launched on Monday a combined US$ 4.2 billion appeal to donors to bring aid to some 10.8 million people in the war-affected communities in Ukraine but also to Ukrainian refugees and their host communities in the region throughout 2024.

A recent wave of attacks underscores the devastating civilian cost of the war, while a bitter winter is ratcheting up the urgent need for life-saving humanitarian aid.

“14.6 million people, 40 per cent of the population in Ukraine, will need humanitarian aid”, said Martin Griffiths, the UN top aid Coordinator when briefing journalist at the UN in Geneva. “4 million people are internally displaced. That's in addition to those who are externally displaced.”

The UN Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator added that “it's been as bad as it could be this last month […] and that's really been quite shocking. The number of attacks, the broad range across the whole of the country from Russia has been absolutely unrelenting.”

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) coordinates the response inside Ukraine. This Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan requests $3.1 billion for 2024 and targets 8.5 million people.

According to Mr. Griffiths, “3.3 million people [are] living in the middle of war zones, of daily bombardment, of uncertainty about where the day will end. And that's really a shockingly high number even these days.”

The current humanitarian situation is likely to further deteriorate this year if hostilities persist and attacks targeting energy and other critical infrastructure increase during the ongoing winter, said OCHA.

“In Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, families live in damaged houses with no piped water, gas or electricity in the freezing cold,” said Mr. Griffiths. “Constant bombardments forced older people to spend their days in basements. Children terrified, traumatized, still have lived for the last three years under these circumstances, trapped indoors and many, many, many, many of them with no schooling.”

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, coordinates the Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP), which requests $1.1 billion and targets 2.3 million refugees and host communities this year.

The full scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 sparked the largest refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War.

Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees said that “the total displacement, […] is about 10 million people. If you add the almost 4 million estimated to be displaced inside Ukraine and the over 6 million, these are estimated to be refugees worldwide.”

He added that “of the people outside, especially those in Europe that are just over 5 million. So the bulk, some people do go back and forth, but the return has not been in very huge numbers. IOM (International Organization of Migration) estimates about 900,000 people have returned. This is an estimate because it's very, very difficult to count because of the pendulum movement.”

Ukrainian refugees in neighbouring countries also need increased and sustained support, said UNHCR. Despite efforts for inclusion, only half of school-age refugee children are enrolled in schools in host countries, while a quarter of refugees in need struggle to access health care.

According to Mr. Grandi, “the number of refugees in working age who are employed Ukrainians, depending on the country, ranges from 40 to 60 per cent. So, there's an extra push to be made in terms of inclusion.”

Despite extreme access challenges, especially to areas occupied by the Russian Federation, aid workers reached nearly 11 million people in Ukraine in 2023, with the support of the international donor community. Humanitarian organizations made every effort to increase assistance in the front-line communities.

-ends-

STORY: Ukraine Humanitarian and refugee plan 2024

TRT: 2 min 55s

SOURCE: UNTV CH

RESTRICTIONS: NONE

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

ASPECT RATIO: 16:9

DATELINE: 15 January 2024 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

1. Exterior medium shot: UN flag alley, UN Geneva with snow
2. Wide shot: speakers at the press conference
3. SOUNDBITE (English) – Martin Griffiths, UN Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator: “14.6 million people, 40 per cent of the population in Ukraine, will need humanitarian aid. 4 million people are internally displaced. That's in addition to those who are externally displaced.”
4. Medium shot, speakers at the podium with journalists in press room
5. SOUNDBITE (English) – Martin Griffiths, UN Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator: “It's been as bad as it could be this last month, hasn’t it? And that's really been quite shocking. The number of attacks, the broad range across the whole of the country from Russia has been absolutely unrelenting.”
6. Medium shot: Journalists in press room
7. SOUNDBITE (English) – Martin Griffiths, UN Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator: “3.3 million people living in the middle of war zones, of daily bombardment, of uncertainty about where the day will end. And that's really a shockingly high number even these days.”
8. Wide shot: Journalists in press room
9. SOUNDBITE (English) – Martin Griffiths, UN Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator: “In Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, families live in damaged houses with no piped water, gas or electricity in the freezing cold. Constant bombardments forced older people to spend their days in basements, children terrified, traumatized, still have lived for the last three years under these circumstances, trapped indoors and many, many, many, many of them with no schooling.”
10. Medium shot, speakers at the podium with journalists in press room
11. SOUNDBITE (English) – Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees: “The total displacement today, I'll focus on that, is about 10 million people. If you add the almost 4 million estimated to be displaced inside Ukraine and the over 6 million, these are estimated to be refugees worldwide.”
12. Close up, journalist listening
13. SOUNDBITE (English) – Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees: “Of the people outside, especially those in Europe that are just over 5 million, so the bulk, some people do go back and forth. But the return has not been in very huge numbers. IOM (International Organization of Migration) estimates about 900,000 people have returned. This is an estimate because it's very, very difficult to count because of the pendulum movement.”
14. Wide shot: Journalists in press room
15. SOUNDBITE (English) – Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees: “The number of refugees in working age who are employed – Ukrainians- depending on the country, ranges from 40 to 60 per cent. So, there's an extra push to be made in terms of inclusion.”
16. Close up: Journalist taking photos
17. Close up: Journalist listening
18. Wide shot: camerawoman filming and technicians in control room
19. Close up: OCHA spokesperson listening
20. Medium shot: Journalists in press room