On 15 January, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, UN Under-Secretary-General Martin Griffiths and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, together with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk, presented strategic plans for UN humanitarian action in Ukraine in 2024 in the amount of USD 4.2 billion.

It is envisaged that 8.5 million of the most affected people in Ukraine, as well as 2.3 million Ukrainians who were forced to move abroad as a result of russian aggression, will be recipients of the assistance during the year.

The UN system organisations will continue to provide financial support, food aid, legal advice, as well as assistance with housing, demining, access to basic education and healthcare services, etc.

In her address to the participants, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk expressed her gratitude to the UN and the donor community for the assistance provided and called for continued vital assistance to the affected population.

The representative of Ukraine focused the attention of UN Member States and humanitarian organisations on the following:

• The russian war has caused one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world.
• Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has prioritised humanitarian response and, with broad international support, has been able to stabilise the humanitarian situation.
• At the same time, given the ongoing armed aggression, Ukraine counts on the international community’s long-term support for the country’s humanitarian efforts.
• The main efforts should be focused on further assistance to internally displaced persons, citizens who have returned to their places of permanent residence after being forced to flee, residents of the de-occupied territories of Ukraine, as well as the most vulnerable categories of citizens, such as women, children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.
• The humanitarian crisis in the temporarily occupied territories is a matter of serious concern and requires international attention.
• Almost 10 million Ukrainian citizens are experiencing post-traumatic stress related to the war. We look forward to further active support of the All-Ukrainian Mental Health Programme initiated by First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska.

The participants of the discussion praised Ukraine’s humanitarian efforts in the extremely difficult conditions of the ongoing war and informed about further plans to support the country, including financial contributions to the humanitarian response in 2024.

On the same day, Iryna Vereshchuk met with UN Under-Secretary-General Martin Griffiths, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, Director General of the International Organization for Migration Amy Pope, Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross Robert Mardini, and Director of the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining Stefano Toscano to discuss priorities for joint activities to support the affected population.