•   Wasco Admin   Thu, May 18 2023

Ukraine: Imperative to ‘explore all options’ to

He noted that many communities along Ukraine’s northeastern border with Russia and the frontline of fighting, were encircled, without access to water, food and medical care.

“Only last week in Kherson, residential buildings, a school, an outpatient hospital, and an elderly care facility were reportedly damaged, leaving scores of civilians needing shelter and healthcare. And missile strikes in Odesa hit a humanitarian storage warehouse. A Ukrainian Red Cross mobile hospital in Mykolaiv was also hit. Humanitarian supplies and vital medical equipment were destroyed.”

He said no staff or volunteers were injured but the threats persist. Civilians must not be target, he insisted, or the homes, schools, hospitals and buildings, where they live and work.

He stressed again, the need for a political solution, and importance of peace for Ukraine, with civilian casualties during Russia’s continued occupation of parts of the south and east, “rising to their highest levels in months.”

 

23,600 civilian casualties since 24 February 2022; we all know the actual toll is likely to be much higher”, said Mr. Griffiths.

Despite the constant dangers, the “sheer bravery of humanitarian workers, particularly local workers”, for the UN and other NGOs, means life-saving assistance continues to be delivered nationwide.

He said nearly 3.6 million people received humanitarian assistance in Ukraine in the first quarter of 2023 with around 43 inter-agency convoys delivering food and vital supplies to some 278,000 people in frontline areas so far this year, “with local partners conducting last-mile delivery and distribution.”

But he said more is needed “to take our efforts to scale. The biggest challenge remains the impediments to reaching all areas in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia currently under the military control of the Russian Federation.”

Full access to these areas “continue to be explored through engagement with both parties.”