After a lull in fighting in Ukraine over the summer, the last few weeks have seen a sharp rise in civilian deaths, more than half of which are due to landmines and explosive remnants of war, the United Nations top political official said on Tuesday.
Expressing grave concern over the recent deterioration of the security situation in eastern Ukraine and its “severe impact” on civilians, the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday underlined the need to scale up efforts to support the civilian population affected by the conflict.
Following the conclusion of an investigation that holds Russia responsible for the downing of a Malaysia Airlines passenger plane in 2014, the United Nations chief said on Friday that he “has taken note with concern of the latest report”.
Some 200,000 girls and boys in eastern Ukraine are commuting to schools whose classroom walls are often riddled with bullets, and playgrounds scattered with metal remnants of war.
The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine believes the grinding four-year conflict in the east is being “forgotten” with thousands of ceasefire violations being recorded each month.
Amid critical humanitarian needs in eastern Ukraine, the United Nations migration agency on Tuesday launched a $38 million funding appeal to reach more than 340,000 people with assistance this year – a sharp increase over the number reached to date.
Following recent shelling of water treatment workers in eastern Ukraine, a senior United Nations official has called on all parties to the conflict to protect those civilians who maintain critical infrastructure.
With 4.4 million people in Ukraine soon to enter a fifth year of conflict, the international community has an important role to play in supporting conflict resolution and bringing about lasting peace – the only durable humanitarian solution for the affected population, a senior United Nations official has said.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed the recent exchange of prisoners and detainees in eastern Ukraine and commended all those who helped bring about the exchange.
The exchange of more than 300 prisoners by warring parties in Ukraine has been welcomed as a positive step after years of conflict, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Thursday.
