NEW YORK – United Nations Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric announced that almost a quarter of the country’s population has been displaced in Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian attacks on February 24.
Spokesperson Dujarric stated that 6.5 million Ukrainians had to leave their cities and flee to safer areas, while 3.5 million people sought refuge in different countries, primarily neighboring countries to Ukraine.
Stephane Dujarric expressed that the UN is deeply concerned about the civilians trapped in settlements in the eastern, northeastern and southern regions of the country, including the cities of Chernihiv, Sumi, Kharkiv, Izyum, Donetsk, Mykolaiv and Mariupol.
“3.5 million Ukrainians took refuge in different countries”
UN Spokesperson Dujarric said: “Since February 24, more than 10 million people, about a quarter of Ukraine’s population, have had to leave their homes for their safety. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), there are an estimated 6.5 million internally displaced men, women and children. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, there are approximately 3.5 million people deported from Ukraine as refugees.
Noting that the UN also took various measures to prevent abuses that may be encountered by Ukrainians who took refuge outside the country, Dujarric said, “We are concerned about the risk of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. The International Organization for Migration has stepped up its measures to prevent human trafficking by providing verified, secure information to refugees and third-country nationals on the move. It has also strengthened regional hotlines to assist people with providing important safety information. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that yesterday it confirmed the information that there were 6 additional attacks on health care facilities in Ukraine. As of March 20, there were 52 attacks on health facilities in the last 25 days. Noting that more than two attacks occur per day, WHO stressed that this is unacceptable and that health facilities must be protected at all times.”
“UN and humanitarian partners distribute food across the country”
Spokesperson Dujarric said that the World Food Program (WFP) delivered food aid to more than 330 thousand people affected by the war in Ukraine, that WFP doubled the bread distribution through its partners in Kharkiv and reached approximately 260 thousand people, the same food aid was delivered to the capital Kiev. He also stated that it reached approximately 78 metric tons, and UN humanitarian partners provided food distribution all over the country.
The UN International Organization for Migration has declared that many of the displaced in Ukraine are particularly vulnerable. He noted that among those displaced were pregnant, lactating women, the elderly, the disabled, chronic diseases and people directly affected by violence. The International Organization for Migration noted that there are 186,000 citizens of different countries among the displaced.
Antonio Vitorino, Director of the UN International Organization for Migration, said: “The scale of human suffering and forced displacement due to war far exceeds the worst-case scenario. Responding to the needs of the internally displaced and trapped in Ukraine is our top priority. Our teams reach thousands of people with basic aids.”