Update on the UN work in Ukraine 17.03.2022

Large-scale displacement continues with more than five million people on the move in the last three weeks, including almost 3.2 million people, mostly women and children, who have crossed international borders out of Ukraine, and that is according to the UNHCR (United Nations Refugee Agency). 

Further on the movement out of Ukraine, UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) transferred more than 5,000 Ukrainian men, women and children from Ukraine’s border with Moldova to Romania between 8 and 17 March, today.   

These ongoing transfers have been made in support of the Governments of Moldova and Romania, who agreed on these arrangements.   

More than 350,000 people have fled to Moldova, with more than 102,000 refugees staying in the country.  

And we are also being told by our humanitarian colleagues that more than 928,000 people are without electricity and some 259,000 people have been cut off from gas supplies across the country, and that is according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy.  

The hardest hit areas include Chernihivska, Donetska, Kyivska, Mykolaivska and Zaporizka oblasts.  

The World Health Organization (WHO) has verified 43 attacks on health care, and stresses that health facilities, health care workers and patients - as well as medical transport - must always be respected and protected.  

Humanitarian operations have so far reached more than 600,000 people with some form of assistance since 24 February.  

On funding, the Ukraine Flash Appeal 2022 has received $407 million so far, which represents 36 per cent, and that is up from 22 per cent just yesterday. We very much thank all the donors who have released pledged amounts and moved them into cash, and we encourage others to release money as quickly as possible and report their contribution to OCHA’s (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) Financial Tracking system.   

The outpouring of support from people around the world also continues with UN agencies receiving record amounts from private sector companies and from public donations.  The UN’s crisis relief fund for the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund has received more than $3 million in donations from 30,000 people in more than 140 countries.  These are small donations of about $100 each.  

Noon Briefing Highlight | United Nations Secretary-General