The trauma caused by the war to some ten million people in Ukraine is one of the main concerns of the humanitarian teams on the ground, together with the approach of the frigid winter, the United Nations resident coordinator said today.
At a briefing on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine in New York, organized by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Denise Brown said that trauma is one of the main new dimensions of Russia’s war in Ukraine, and close of 10 million people will need some kind of support in this regard.
“Trauma is going to be the new battle. Different levels of trauma, whether it’s in relation to demobilized soldiers, children hearing the bombing sirens every day, or just people going back to work. We really have to keep this theme going.” on the radar,” he appealed. The UN coordinator.
Many older people in Ukraine, he said, are “completely confused by what is happening.”
Brown said that another concern that “takes away nights of sleep” is the arrival of winter and its consequences for Ukrainians who have their houses destroyed, with no way to stay warm.
“We are not going to be able to get everywhere. We need winter clothing, blankets, mattresses, food, power generators. Very basic things that everyone will need for a safe winter. But the damage to infrastructure, which affected power generators, is not something that humanitarian aid can reach. We need the help of Member States,” he said.
The Canadian, who has also been the humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine since last July, stressed to the diplomatic corps present at the meeting that the lack of money is not the problem, since “enormous economic aid has been obtained” for the Ukrainians.
Unresolved is gaining access to people who are in places not controlled by the Ukrainian government.
“The war is not over and the humanitarian emergency is not over. For the first time I didn’t have to focus on fundraising, which allows me to focus on other types of work. (…) This is different: it is not about droughts, about bad harvests, but about a war that kills people. The destruction is total in some places, there is nothing left”, he observed.
“A week ago an explosion occurred just over a kilometer from my office in Ukraine. [equipas humanitárias] we are in the same situation as many people, but the UN will not leave Ukraine”, he guaranteed.
Joyce Msuya, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Aid Coordinator at OCHA, warned that humanitarian assistance has only been delivered to places controlled by kyiv, and aid does not reach places dominated by Russian troops, as security of humanitarian teams is not guaranteed
“The situation will get worse as the shelling continues and winter approaches,” Msuya said.
“I call for full respect for international humanitarian law in all military operations, taking constant care to protect civilians and civilian property, including essential infrastructure,” he added.
The military offensive launched on February 24 by Russia in Ukraine has already caused the flight of more than 13 million people -more than six million internally displaced persons and more than 7.6 million to European countries-, according to the latest data from the UN, which places this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since the Second World War (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion -justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security- was condemned by the generality of the international community, which has responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and imposing Russia since political and economic point of view. sanctions
The UN presented as confirmed since the beginning of the war, which today entered its day 237, 6,306 civilian deaths and 9,602 wounded, emphasizing that these figures are well below the real ones.
Source: TSF
