The coming winter could be a “matter of life and death” for many war-affected Ukrainians, with the country’s humanitarian organizations seeing it as “Maximum priority“, a UN source told Lusa.
“Winter can mean a question – we have to be very realistic – of life or death. for many people here in Ukraine. Winter here is harsh, reaching temperatures of minus 20 degrees. We can imagine what it is like to live in a damaged house, without doors or windows, or in an area where people have lost access to gas to heat their homes,” said Saviano Abreu, a spokesman for the United Nations humanitarian office. (UN). ) in Ukraine.
In an interview with Lusa, Abreu explained that humanitarian organizations on the ground are already working to reach people who may be more affected by low temperatures.delivery of consumables, home repair or improvement of access to urban centers and gas.
“We have to fear for the lives of these people. It is one of the top priorities we have right now. We are working so that people can be in a dignified and warm way during this winter, which can be deadly if we are not able to provide this necessary help,” the spokesperson reinforced.
Following closely the situation of the Ukrainians since the beginning of the war, six months ago, Saviano Abreu admits that he has already witnessed “overwhelming and unimaginable levels of human sufferingfor many people. However, he does not see any improvement on the horizon, stressing that international humanitarian law is still not respected.
Saviano gave the example of Zaporizhia, a Ukrainian city where the largest nuclear power plant in Europe is located and whose constant bombings are causing thousands of people to try to flee the region, but without success.
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“There are a lot of people right now, right now, who are in large queues, trying to flee certain areas, for example, in the Zaporizhia region. We know that there are more than 4,000 people trying to cross to the side controlled by the Ukrainian government and they are not succeeding, ”he denounced.
“It is a right of every person, even for their safety, wants to get out of areas that are experiencing daily shelling. (…) It is urgent that the international community put even more pressure on the two Governments, but mainly on the Government of the Russian Federation, so that the rights of the civilian population that has suffered in quite unimaginable ways are respected, ”he appealed.
Stressing that it is an obligation of both parties to respect the rights of the civilian population, the UN official regretted that these principles have not been respected since the beginning of the invasion and stressed that, in an “unacceptable” way, schools and hospitals continue to be bombed…
Six months after the start of the war, the balance is one of massive destruction of civil infrastructure, deaths, people fleeing their homes and around 18 million people in need of humanitarian aid, including water and food, shelter and protection and medical services. , according to Saviano Abreu.
Asked about the main difficulties faced by humanitarian organizations at this time, the UN spokesman did not hesitate to point out that he cannot reach all the places in the country where people need help, such as Mariupol, Donetsk and other areas to this day controlled by Russia or allied forces.
“We are not able to reach people, not even to conduct humanitarian needs assessments. So, it is a call that we are making, to be able to cross these battle fronts and reach the areas that we have not been able to [aceder] in the last six months,” he said.
Despite highlighting the generosity that the international community has shown since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Abreu recalled that the war continues and, consequently, the needs do not cease, appealing for the continuation of economic contributions.
“This day, the appeal we make is for 4,300 million dollars (approximately the same amount in euros) to be able to cover the humanitarian needs of these 18 million people (…) but it is wonderful to see that at least 60% of this amount is already covered”, said the UN official.
Source: Observadora
