Ms. Lisa Doughten, OCHA Director of Financing and Partnerships, on behalf of Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. Martin Griffiths, 8 March 2024

Briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine

8 March 2024

As delivered

Thank you, Mr. President.

Two years and 13 days have now passed since the full-scale escalation of this war.

The latest wave of escalatory attacks in Odesa, Kharkiv, Sumy and Donetsk regions over the past few days shows how the conflict continues to inflict immeasurable human suffering, death and devastation on the people of Ukraine.

We are particularly appalled by the strike on a high-rise residential building in Odesa city this past weekend, that according to local authorities killed 12 civilians, including five children.

The recent attacks have left many other civilians without electricity, heat and water.

Multi-story apartment buildings have been damaged or destroyed by the impact of the strikes in cities and towns in Donetsk, Kherson and Dnipro regions, rendering thousands homeless and in need of humanitarian assistance.

Amid still cold winter temperatures, this damage is threatening the lives of the most vulnerable in particular – among them the elderly and those with disabilities. Many of these people have had to remain in frontline communities and are already suffering because of disruption to essential services caused by the war.

The UN Human Rights Office reports that nearly 31,000 civilians have now been killed or injured since 24 February 2022.

This prompts me to repeat that attacks directed against civilians and civilian objects are prohibited under international humanitarian law. Indiscriminate attacks are also strictly prohibited. Parties to the conflict must take constant care to spare all civilians and civilian objects, including infrastructure essential for civilians’ survival.

On this International Women’s Day, while we celebrate Ukrainian women as instrumental agents of change, and honour the incredible work of Ukrainian women’s organisations, we should also note the particularly harsh impact of this conflict on women and girls in Ukraine.

The UN Population Fund reports a third of households led by women in Ukraine are struggling to feed themselves, and 60 per cent of older women are unable to provide for their own basic needs.

An increase in gender-based violence against women and girls has been a shocking hallmark of this war. Tragically, a lack of sufficient resources to sustain and expand a network of medical and social care services means many of the 2.5 million people at risk if being subjected to gender-based violence in the coming year – notably acute for displaced women and girls near the frontlines – will not have access to the services they need and deserve.

Mr. President,

The UN and its partners continue to do everything we can to provide humanitarian assistance to millions of people across Ukraine.

This is in spite of the ongoing and deteriorating security situation. So far, in 2024, two humanitarian workers have lost their lives and 10 have been injured, highlighting the dangers of delivering aid close to the frontline.

We are grateful to the donors who have so far provided 11 per cent of the $3.1 billion needed for the 2024 Ukraine humanitarian needs and response plan.

This has enabled us to address the ongoing impacts of the conflict and provide life-saving assistance. But more financial support is urgently needed to sustain operations.

In recent months, humanitarians have provided more than 1.7 million people with some form of direct winter assistance, including winter heating, repair and maintenance of energy and heating systems and much-needed home repair materials.

The commitment and endurance shown by some 600 partner organisations delivering a humanitarian response across Ukraine is remarkable. They are working in the middle of tremendous insecurity and danger to provide civilians with the services and supplies they need to see them through the harsh winter and beyond.

So far in 2024, the UN and its partners have had to adapt their operations to stay and deliver to the people affected by the intensification of fighting along the frontline, delivering critical supplies to nearly 13,000 war-affected residents in the front-line communities through 11 inter-agency convoys.

These convoys are a lifeline.

Just last week, two much-needed inter-agency convoys reached communities in Kherson and Donetsk that have been heavily impacted by months of fighting. They delivered portable power stations, hygiene items and other essential supplies.

This inter-agency support is complemented by numerous deliveries from local organisations and volunteers.

But, Mr. President, we continue to face significant obstacles to reaching everyone in need.

One of the most significant challenges remains the lack of humanitarian access to the parts of Donetska, Khersonska, Luhanska and Zaporizka oblasts occupied by the Russian Federation.

As hostilities continue to escalate, we are deeply concerned about the fate of civilians in these territories whom we are unable to reach at scale. The consequences for an estimated 1.5 million people in need of life-saving assistance there are unthinkable. And they are avoidable.

As has been stated repeatedly, under international humanitarian law, all parties must allow and facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need and must ensure that humanitarian personnel have the freedom of movement required for their work.

This applies wherever civilians in need are located in Ukraine.

Mr. President,

The United Nations and its humanitarian partners remain committed to safeguarding the life and dignity of the people affected by this war for as long as it takes.

But it has gone on far too long.

It is time to bring the humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine and the suffering of the Ukrainian people to an end.

Thank you, Mr. President.