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Mrs. President,
When I last spoke to the Council on the situation in Ukraine in March, I was reminded of the humanitarian impact of all-out war not only on the Ukrainian people, but on the wider world, which is already grappling with countless shocks. emphasized.
In that context, I emphasized the overwhelming need for a political solution and peace in the war against Ukraine.
Therefore, I regret to point out that hostilities, including missile attacks, now appear to be intensifying on both sides of the front line.
Air raid sirens continue to sound in cities and towns across Ukraine. Civilians continue to seek protection in bunkers, some for days.
And as Ukraine emerges from a harsh winter, civilian casualties have risen to their highest level in recent months.
OHCHR has now confirmed a staggering 23,600 civilian casualties since February 24, 2022. We all know that the actual casualties are likely to be much higher.
The humanitarian impact is far-reaching.
Many communities along the northeastern border with the Russian Federation and near the front line have been besieged by heavy ground fighting and blockades, cutting off water, food and medical care.
In Kherson, homes, schools, outpatient hospitals and nursing homes were reportedly damaged just last week, leaving a large number of civilians in need of shelter and medical care.
And a missile strike in Odesa hit a warehouse of humanitarian aid. A mobile hospital of the Ukrainian Red Cross in Mykolaiv was also damaged. Humanitarian supplies and critical medical equipment were destroyed.
Fortunately, no humanitarian staff or volunteers were injured. However, threats to humanitarian aid workers and civilians, represented by the latest wave of attacks, continue.
I urge this Council that under international humanitarian law, parties must protect all civilians and civilian objects, including homes, schools, hospitals and other critical infrastructure, as well as humanitarian facilities and facilities. I must remind this Board once again that attention must always be paid to assets.
Mrs. President,
As you understand, the humanitarian environment remains complex and dangerous.
Nevertheless, thanks to the sheer courage of humanitarian workers, especially local workers, the United Nations and its partners continue to provide life-saving assistance to frontline areas and other locations across Ukraine.
In the first quarter of 2023, millions of people in Ukraine received humanitarian assistance through the multi-sectoral response. So far this year, local partners have been responsible for last-mile delivery and distribution, with some 43 interagency convoys reaching 278,000 people in frontline areas.
But there are still limits to reaching everyone in need. We need more to scale our efforts.
The biggest challenge is preventing access to all regions currently under military control of the Russian Federation: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia.
The Humanitarian Notification System was established to maximize the chances of safe and unhindered passage of interagency convoys into these areas, in conjunction with direct coordination with key interlocutors in Moscow and Kiev. rice field. However, even though 14 months have passed since we notified our intentions to our stakeholders through this system, we are still delivering aid to communities along the front lines in areas under military control of the Russian Federation. I couldn’t.
Options for access to these areas, including how to respond, will continue to be explored through mutual engagement.
It is imperative that we consider all options for contacting civilians wherever they are. As previously stated, under international humanitarian law, all parties must permit and facilitate the rapid and unhindered passage of humanitarian relief to civilians in need, The necessary freedom of movement must be ensured.
I urge stakeholders to step up their facilitation efforts to reach out to all civilians in need.
Mrs. President,
Food exported under the Black Sea Initiative, as well as food and fertilizer exports from the Russian Federation, continue to make an important contribution to global food security.
Currently, more than 30 million tons of cargo is safely exported from Ukrainian ports under this initiative, of which more than 55 percent goes directly to developing countries and nearly 6 percent to least developed countries.
This includes just under 600,000 tons of wheat shipped by the World Food Program to directly support humanitarian aid efforts in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Yemen.
Global grain prices have fallen nearly 20% over the past 12 months, according to the latest FAO analysis. Last month, international wheat prices hit their lowest level since July 2021, due to the continued movement of Ukrainian grain and the availability of large quantities for export in the Russian Federation and elsewhere. is a factor. This represents undeniable progress, but there is still much work to be done. Humanitarian food aid efforts continue to require predictable supplies. The initiative mentions the export of ammonia, but this has yet to materialize. Unfortunately, over the past month, the increasingly difficult situation within the Joint Coordination Center and the associated slowdown in operations have led to a significant drop in exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports. was also confirmed.
In recent weeks, we have had intensive discussions with Black Sea Initiative stakeholders to secure agreement on the necessary improvements for the extension and effective and predictable operation of the Black Sea Initiative. This will continue over the next few days.
In parallel, Rebecca Grinspan and her team have continued to provide a wide range of support with tangible results under the Memorandum of Understanding on Promoting Russia’s Food and Fertilizer Exports.
For the reasons I have mentioned, the continuation of the Black Sea Initiative is important, as is the recommitment of the parties to its smooth and efficient operation.
We call on all parties to hold themselves accountable in this regard.
The world is watching.
I once again thank the Government of Turkiye for its tireless support, which it continues to provide as part of its ongoing efforts towards the daily implementation and extension of this initiative.
madam president
It is clear that the Ukrainian people and millions of people around the world cannot afford to continue this war.
More than ever, we need political solutions to end hostilities and end conflicts. I call on this Council and all Member States to support all efforts to end genocide and destruction.
In the meantime, the United Nations and its humanitarian partners remain committed to protecting the lives and dignity of those affected by war and to the pursuit of peace today, tomorrow and as long as necessary.
Thank you Mrs. President
Disclaimer
- United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
- For more information on OCHA’s activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.