7.7m people displaced in Ukraine – UN relief chief

Humanitarian needs continue to rise in war-torn Ukraine where an estimated 7.7 million people are now internally displaced, UN emergency relief chief, Martin Griffiths, has said.

Griffiths said this on Thursday when addressing the International Donor Conference for Ukraine in Warsaw, Poland.

The conference was co-hosted by Poland and Sweden, in cooperation with the Presidents of the European Commission and the European Council.

The conference raised a reported US$6.5 billion.

According to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, more than 5.7 million people have now fled across Ukraine’s borders seeking shelter, in the two and a half months since the Russian invasion on February 24.

In a tweet, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said that in his briefing to the conference, he had stressed priorities for the millions of refugees and internally displaced, the importance of cash programmes, shelter and accommodation, and protection of the vulnerable.

He also made clear that planning needs to begin now for their eventual return home, and solutions to make that a reality.

World Food Programme (WFP) Chief, David Beasley, also addressed the conference, following the announcement on Wednesday by the UN emergency food relief agency.

Based on announcement by UN that WFP had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, Beasley called for a scale up of cash transfers to half a million people across Ukraine.

The agreement with the Government will support people displaced by the war, and expand the assistance already provided to 170,000 people through cash assistance.

“This partnership will expand our efforts to support the Social Protection system that is already in place in Ukraine,” Samir Wanmali, WFP Deputy Emergency Coordinator, said.

Since the beginning of April, WFP has transferred nearly US$ 11 million in local currency to more than 170,000 people In Vinnytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv and other cities.

Those eligible are receiving between US$ 75 and US$ 225 per month, depending on family size.

Cash allows people to buy the items and services that they consider most important. It is extremely useful to families with a variety of needs in a volatile environment, when they may be moving locations.