ReliefWeb

Highlights

• A three- day “window of Silence” observed from 21st August, enabled repairs of critical water infrastructure, restoring the provision of clean water and ensuring winter warmth for over 70,000 people including 14, ooo children in Toretsk.

• UNICEF continued to provide access to safe water and sanitation, reaching over 43,000 people in the Eastern Conflict Area (ECA) through water- trucking and emergency repair of conflict damaged infrastructure.

• To ensure continued access to education, UNICEF provided school supplies to at least 12,000 kindergarten and school- aged children on both sides of the ‘contact line.’

1, 000,000
# Of children in need, out of…

3,800,000
# of people in need (HAC January 2017)

Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)

220,156
# of children, out of…

1, 586,135
# of people registered as IDPs (Ministry of Social Policy, 28 August 2017)

UNICEF Appeal 2017
US$ 31.2 million

Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs

On 19th July 2017, an agreement was reached in Minsk by all parties to the conflict to protect civilian infrastructure along the ‘contact line.’ However, the ceasefire is partially holding as noted in the decreased number of ceasefire violations. In the first two weeks of August, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) recorded about 15 % fewer cases of ceasefire violations and recorded a further 45% decline in the following week. However, the situation remains tense as evidenced by the and the violence resulted in a number of civilian casualties of violence, with two people killed and seven injured from 7 to 20 August.

Civilian infrastructure also continues to be damaged. On 3 August, a projectile fell within the territory of the Donetsk Filter Station (DFS), fortunately with no impact on facility operations only damaging the administration building. Fortunately, no person was injured or killed. DFS supplies water to 345,000 people in the following settlements of: Avdiivka, Kruta Balka, Vasylivka, Mineralne, Yakovlivka and Verkhniotoretske, part of Yasynuvata and the western areas of Donetsk city.

As part of preparations for winter, timely advocacy efforts by the UNICEF- led WASH Cluster and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to donors and embassy representatives helped secure a three- day ‘Window of Silence,’ that enabled repairs to a major water pipeline, restoring clean water and ensuring winter warmth for 70,000 people in Toretsk. In Toretsk, hot water is piped directly to homes and a breakage of the pipeline in winter - when the average night time temperature can be as low as -20 degrees Celcius – would create dangerous conditions for children. As winter approaches, UNICEF continues to highlight water- related challenges for children, aiming for ensuring uninterrupted hot water supply to education facilities, health care centres and community- based protection centres in-order for the most vulnerable families to continue accessing vital services. UNICEF will also continue to advocate with all parties to the conflict to respect and adhere to the Minsk agreements.