After more than five months of the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and with no apparent signs of ending the offensive, the fighting is intensifying in the European nation, he warned this Friday before the Security Council the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs.
In a session dedicated to the maintenance of peace and security in Ukraine, Rosemary DiCarlo stressed that with this “grim outlook”, the agreement signed on July 22 in Istanbul, which seeks to facilitate the safe transport of grain and food from various ports Ukrainians, stands as a “beacon of hope” for humanity, as previously stated by the General secretary.
“This humanitarian agreement, together with the commitment between the Russian Federation and the United Nations Secretariat to facilitate access of Russian food and fertilizers to world markets, will contribute to reducing food shortages in the world and reducing high prices,” he predicted.
DiCarlo stressed that the Organization does “everything possible” to help the parties in the implementation of this initiative, which began with the inauguration of a Joint Coordination Center two days ago.
However, he highlighted the need to avoid incidents such as the recent attacks on the port of Odessa and considered it “key” to create “the right conditions” for the initiative to prosper.
More than 5,000 civilians killed and 7,000 injured
The person in charge of political affairs of the Organization highlighted that the number of civilians killed, wounded or maimed by the fighting continues to increase and, citing sources from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, put the number of victims at 12,272, with 5,237 dead and 7,035 wounded.
“This represents at least 1,641 new civilian casualties since my last report: 506 dead and 1,135 injured. These are figures based on verified incidents; the actual figures are considerably higher. announced and indicated that the majority of registered civilian casualties were caused by powerful explosive weapons.
In relation to the health sector, he explained that, until July 25, there have been 414 attacks against health centers that have resulted in 85 deaths and 100 injuries. “This figure includes 350 attacks on facilities in conflict zones, where an average of around 316,000 patients were treated per month.”
To this figure, it must be added that more than 2,000 educational centers were bombed and attacked, while damage was verified in 73 religious buildings and 13 museums
As the conflict continues to drag on, DiCarlo noted that attention is increasingly focused on its “long-term humanitarian, recovery, reconstruction and socio-economic impact” and He lamented that the political dialogue is “practically paralyzed.”
© UNHCR/Maciej Moskwa
Refugees from Ukraine enter Poland after crossing the Medyka border post.
Nearly six million registered refugees
The size of humanitarian operations continues to be large with close to nine million people receiving food aid, and more than 4.5 million people benefiting from legal aid, demining and mine risk education services.
In turn, he explained that the number of refugees from Ukraine and registered in Europe is close to six million.
“Border crossings from Ukraine have exceeded 9.5 million since February 24. Crossings into Ukraine amounted to 3.8 million. We are concerned that the winter will make it difficult for the displaced or the returnee community to access shelter and healthcare.”
© UNICEF/Slava Ratynski
A girl from an orphanage undergoes a medical examination at a shelter located in a sanatorium in Vorokhta, western Ukraine.
Women and girls in constant danger
Finally, he dedicated the last part of his speech to the difficulties suffered by women and girls involved in this conflict.
“While access to food has decreased significantly across Ukraine, female-headed households in Ukraine are twice as likely to experience food insecurity as male-headed households,” he warned.
Similarly, he highlighted the lack of access to health services, including those related to sexual and reproductive health, and the increase in incidents related to gender violence.
Add Comment