STATEMENT OF THE UNITED NATIONS CRISIS COORDINATOR FOR UKRAINE

Today, the United Nations and our partners in Ukraine completed the first convoy of urgent humanitarian aid to the city of Sumy in the northeast, one of the most war-affected areas of the country. We hope this is the first of many shipments delivered to the people trapped by fighting.

The 130 metric tons of essential aid includes medical supplies, bottled water, ready-to-eat meals and canned food that will directly help some 35,000 people. In addition to these items, the convoy brought equipment to repair water systems to help 50,000 people.

The humanitarian supplies were provided by the World Food Programme (WFP), UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), World Health Organization (WHO), and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), as well as the NGO People in Need (PiN).

Safe passage for the humanitarian convoy followed successful dialogue with and notification sent to the Ministries of Defense of Ukraine and of the Russian Federation, which was facilitated by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

We count on the continued cooperation of all parties as the United Nations and our humanitarian partners scale up our relief operation to respond to the grave humanitarian crisis caused by this war. We are here to help the most vulnerable civilians caught in the fighting, wherever they are in Ukraine. We need unhindered and sustained humanitarian access to do so.