UN Humanitarian Fund for Ukraine allocates $70 million for winter aid
The United Nations Secretary-General's Assistant Spokesperson, Eri Kaneko, said at a regular noon press conference on Friday that the $70 million is the largest single allocation of the Ukrainian Humanitarian Fund since its establishment in 2019, and the money will be provided directly to local front-line civilians Social organizations and volunteer groups.
So far this year, the fund has allocated a cumulative $118 million to provide food, water, shelter, sanitation interventions and education support to 5 million people across Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Humanitarian Fund was created to respond to economic and humanitarian needs in eastern Ukraine since the conflict erupted in 2014. However, in February this year, the Russian-Ukrainian war broke out, and the security situation in a large area of Ukraine deteriorated rapidly, resulting in a serious humanitarian crisis. In this context, as an important strategic tool for implementing humanitarian response programs, the significance of the Ukrainian Humanitarian Fund is further highlighted.
The World Health Organization said on Friday that since the outbreak of the war, Ukraine's health facilities and personnel have been attacked more than 500 times, seriously affecting the country's health system's ability to transport medical care.
In an effort to continue saving lives and helping Ukraine rebuild its healthcare system, WHO again donated 11 ambulances to the country's Ministry of Health, bringing the cumulative donation to more than 30. The WHO also said that more emergency ambulances would be delivered to Ukraine later this year.
Jarno Habicht, the WHO representative in Ukraine, said the ambulances would ensure emergency services can reach patients who need medical transport. He also stressed that "during the war, we will continue to support the Ukrainian Ministry of Health in empowering health workers and rebuilding the health care system."
It is understood that the ambulances will first be handed over to emergency medical services in the western city of Lviv before being distributed across Ukraine. WHO also introduced that these donations were realized with the support of the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund.
More than 1,300 tons of medical supplies
Since the war began, the WHO has provided Ukraine with more than 1,300 tons of critical medical supplies, with more on the way.
These include generators, ambulances and oxygen-generating equipment for medical settings; there are also medical supplies for trauma and emergency surgery, and medicines to help treat non-communicable diseases.
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