The UN Reiterates the Call for an Easter Truce in Ukraine Amid a Growing Humanitarian Crisis and Mounting Displacement

“The loss of life and severe trauma caused by attacks on hospitals, schools and places of refuge is utterly shocking, as is the devastation of critical civilian infrastructure in the country” said Assistant Secretary-General and UN Crisis Coordinator for Ukraine, Amin Awad.

The war has caused the largest and fastest wave of displacement in recent memory. Of the 12 million displaced, more than 5 million have fled the country and at least 7.1 million remain displaced within Ukraine, many of them without water and electricity. Another 12 million are affected by economic hardship and decline in services.

Water infrastructure and power outages have left some 1.4 million people in the eastern part of the country without access to running water, including in besieged Mariupol. Millions more have only very limited access to water and electricity. Some 136 attacks on healthcare facilities were recorded since the start of the hostilities, accounting for more than 68% of worldwide attacks on health care so far this year. Growing insecurity, including due to contamination with explosive devices, is a significant obstacle to accessing hard to reach areas in the east.

“This terrible toll on civilians must come to an end,” said Awad, warning that the war’s devastating impact could affect Ukraine for generations and echoing the UN Secretary-General’s recent call for restraint and a humanitarian pause. Awad said this would allow for safe passage of civilians willing to leave conflict areas and for the safe delivery of urgent humanitarian aid to people in the hardest hit areas of Mariupol, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk.

“During this week which marks a rare calendar alignment of the three of the most sacred religious holidays of Christian Orthodox Easter, Jewish Passover and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan it is the time to focus on converging interests and set aside our differences. The immediate impact of this senseless war is the gravest here in Ukraine but it could have global ramifications, putting 1.7 billion people worldwide at risk of poverty, hunger and destitution” Awad concluded.

Since the beginning of the hostilities, the United Nations and partners scaled up relief operations to reach 2.5 million people across Ukraine. The UN is working closely with the Government of Ukraine to further boost the humanitarian response in the country and strengthen coordination through a newly established high-level National Coordination Platform.

For more information contact:

Kris (Krzysztof) Janowski

UN Spokesperson in Ukraine (Kyiv)

+380 99 7400046 Email: krzysztof.janowski@un.org