ReliefWeb

(Kyiv, 23 August 2014) UN Humanitarian Chief Valerie Amos visited areas of eastern Ukraine to see for herself the impact of the continued fighting on millions of people.

Since March this year, around 200,000 people have fled their homes in search of safety within Ukraine and tens of thousands have fled to neighbouring countries. Every day, people die, are wounded in the fighting or find themselves on the road, scared and uncertain about the future.

Visiting an IDP centre in Krasnyi Lyman, Ms. Amos met women who had fled the fighting with their families. “I met families who had to leave all their possessions behind as their homes were reduced to rubble. They all said the same thing. The fighting must stop so we can feel safe again.”

Valerie Amos met local authorities in Sloviansk which, until recently, was gripped by fierce fighting. She commended the progress made in getting basic infrastructure repaired and the ongoing work preparing for winter. A key priority is to get all children in school by 1 September. “Substantial numbers of people are already returning to the city because the fighting has stopped. This needs to be replicated in parts of the country where there is still ongoing fighting,” she said.

The United Nations wants to get more aid to people in affected areas but is hampered by continued insecurity. Despite the security challenges, USG Amos said that the UN is looking at ways in which to get into the more difficult parts of eastern Ukraine.

“As winter approaches, assistance must be scaled up. Many of those displaced are already vulnerable and the temporary shelters housing them will not withstand the cold temperatures. We need to provide people with support so that they can cope through the winter.”
 For further information, please call:
Amanda Pitt, OCHA New York, pitta@un.org, Cell: +1 917 442 1810
Zarina Nurmukhambetova, OCHA Kyiv, nurmukhambetova@un.org, Cell: +380 687 107121 OCHA press releases are available at www.unocha.org or www.reliefweb.int