UN asks for more than 5 billion euros for humanitarian aid in 2023

“Almost a year later, the war continues to cause death, destruction and displacement every day, and on a staggering scale.” Faced with the situation in Ukraine, the UN on Wednesday asked for 5.6 billion dollars (5.2 billion euros) to cover the humanitarian needs this year of 11.1 million people in Ukraine and 4.2 million refugees and their host communities in Europe. In detail, the United Nations humanitarian agencies will require 3.9 billion dollars (3.62 billion euros) for aid in Ukraine and 1.7 billion dollars (1.57 billion euros) for the refugees.

“We must do everything in our power to reach the hardest-to-reach communities, including those close to the frontline. The suffering of the Ukrainian people is far from over – they continue to need international support.”said Martin Griffiths, the head of UN humanitarian operations.

More than 3 billion euros in aid in 2022

Most of the aid for the refugees will go to Poland, the main host country in Eastern Europe, and to Moldova, through which many people transit before going elsewhere in Europe. As of January, around 4.9 million Ukrainians had registered under the EU temporary protection scheme or comparable schemes in other European countries following the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, according to the UN. About 86% of refugees are women and children.

In its appeal for funds, the UN stresses that the war in Ukraine “has profoundly affected access to livelihoods and disrupted market stability, particularly in the south and eastern oblasts, further aggravating humanitarian suffering”. In 2022, the UN had received 80% of the 4.3 billion dollars (4.03 billion euros) requested for aid in Ukraine. The appeal for support for refugees – which amounted to 1.79 billion dollars (1.68 billion euros) – had been funded to the tune of 71%.