This World Humanitarian Day, the Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine commends the recently agreed upon ceasefire

On World Humanitarian Day, the Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine Ms. Osnat Lubrani, welcomes the recently established ceasefire agreement and expresses hope that all relevant actors will make the necessary efforts to maintain it.

“We, the humanitarian community in Ukraine, are pleased to see that the ceasefire agreement established on 27 July has been largely adhered to by all parties. On the seventh annual celebration of World Humanitarian Day in Ukraine, we remain hopeful that this ceasefire will endure and allow humanitarian actors to bring much-needed relief to conflict-affected civilians and reach a greater number of people. We also hope that this ceasefire will not only minimize threats to people’s lives, but also facilitate the opening of two more crossing points in Luhanska oblast, which will significantly improve the freedom of movement for hundreds of thousands of civilians,” Ms. Lubrani continued.

“Despite funding constraints and the new challenges brought on by COVID-19, humanitarian actors in Ukraine have been able to sustain their life-saving work and adapt to the fast-changing environment,” Ms. Lubrani continued.

In the first six months of 2020, humanitarians have been able to reach more than half a million people with vital humanitarian aid, and nearly 1.1 million with COVID-19-related relief and assistance. Since 2014, humanitarians have reached at least 1 million Ukrainians annually with essential humanitarian aid worth over half a billion dollars. “During my recent visit to the east, I was moved by the strength and resilience of people who have been experiencing conflict for more than six years and are now forced to deal with the consequences of COVID-19,” Ms. Lubrani noted. There are currently 3.4 million people in eastern Ukraine who still require humanitarian assistance, 2.1 million of whom require urgent humanitarian aid.

“A sustainable ceasefire, coupled with continued support from our donors, can improve the humanitarian community’s ability to reach people in need of assistance, as well as help minimize their needs over time,” Ms. Lubrani said. “The UN and humanitarian partners are here to support the Government of Ukraine and conflict-affected persons in every way possible. But humanitarian assistance is a temporary solution. We also hope that the sustained ceasefire can help facilitate the eventual handover of humanitarian response activities to the Government, which has strong existing capacity, and allow the region to slowly start moving towards recovery,” Ms. Osnat Lubrani concluded.

For further information, please contact: Viktoriya Hrubas, OCHA Ukraine, viktoriya.hrubas@un.org, phone: + 380 50 382 4541

About World Humanitarian Day: On 19 August 2003, a terrorist attack hit the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, killing 22 people. Among those who lost their lives was Sergio Vieira de Mello, the UN’s top representative in Iraq. Six years later, the General Assembly adopted a resolution designating 19 August as World Humanitarian Day (WHD). Every year since then, the humanitarian community has organized global campaigns to commemorate WHD, advocating for the safety and security of humanitarian aid workers, and for the survival, well-being and dignity of people affected by crises. This year’s commemoration in Ukraine falling in the midst of an unprecedented time, as countries around the world continue to fight a global pandemic, we honour humanitarian workers for their efforts to sustain critical humanitarian operations despite COVID-19. We also pay tribute to the Ukrainian people, who continue to stand strong despite six years of conflict and additional threats imposed by the pandemic.