The United Nations agencies plan to seek $3.1 billion from international donors next week to support aid efforts in Ukraine for the year 2024, as informed to the U.N. Security Council on January 10 by a senior humanitarian official.
The U.N. has estimated a staggering 14.6 million people, roughly 40% of Ukraine's population, will require humanitarian assistance this year. This figure excludes the 6.3 million Ukrainians who have sought refuge abroad following Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Edem Wosornu, the director of the Operations and Advocacy Division for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), emphasized the urgency of the situation to the Security Council in New York. "As the war in Ukraine continues unabated, driving high levels of humanitarian need, financial support must be sustained," Wosornu stated, highlighting the ongoing conflict's profound impact.
The 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Ukraine, set to be launched on January 15 by OCHA in collaboration with the U.N. refugee agency, targets aiding 8.5 million Ukrainians. Wosornu reflected on the accomplishments of the past year, noting that
"In 2023, humanitarian organizations reached nearly 11 million people across Ukraine with some form of assistance, a feat only possible due to the staunch support of donors."
Furthermore, Wosornu revealed that "By the end of 2023, more than $2.5 billion of the $3.9 billion requested under the Humanitarian Response Plan had been received." This financial assistance was crucial in addressing the needs of the four million internally displaced Ukrainians, including around one million children.
The front-line Ukrainian cities and villages, particularly those close to the Russian border, have borne the brunt of almost daily Russian attacks. These assaults have resulted in numerous casualties and widespread destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure, exacerbating the country's humanitarian needs.
