‘Tough months to come’ in Ukraine, as death toll rises, along with global shortages – Global Affairs

Joyce MsuyaThe Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, told the 15-member Council that the true death toll could be much higher than has been confirmed so far, with many areas affected. Russian troops hit hardest, inaccessible for verification. casualties.

“Cities, like Mariupol, Kharkiv, Chernihiv and many more – bustling and full of life just a month ago – are under siege, bombardment and blockade,” she said, noting that at least 99 children among the dead and wounded, such as Hospitals, homes and schools were destroyed.

‘It’s not even safe to bury the dead’

Providing an update on the humanitarian situation four weeks after the conflict, the Assistant Secretary-General noted that civilians in besieged towns and cities lacked food, water, medicine, electricity and heating system.

“In some neighborhoods, it’s not even safe to bury the dead,” she said.

Meanwhile, more than 10 million people – including more than half of Ukrainian children – have escaped from their home.

According to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM)

Response to scale

In response, the UN’s humanitarian system has scale its work dramatically.

Since February 24, humanitarian organizations have reached about 890,000 people across Ukraine with food, shelter, blankets, medicine, bottled water and hygiene items.

On March 18, after being delayed due to constant fighting, the first convoy organized by the United Nations arrived in the town of Sumy in northeastern Ukraine, providing food and supplies for about 35,000 people and Help repair the town’s water system.

ONE second convoy to Kharkiv, only on Monday.

However, dangerous security risks and access challenges are hindering those efforts, with many roads disrupted and humanitarian and worker convoys frequently unable to pass through due to shelling, traffic, and traffic. paintings and mines.

Impact on the global food supply

Also at Tuesday’s Council briefing was David Beasley, Executive Director of the World Food Program (World Food Program).WFP), who described the humanitarian situation in Ukraine as “disaster on top of disaster. ”

When Ukraine transforms “from a loaf of bread to a chain of bread”, he also warned of dramatic impacts on the global food supply, noting that food insecurity in the Sahel, North Africa and the Middle East is likely to worsen and not can be ignored.

Much of the wheat and other food supplies of these regions come from Ukraine and the Russian Federation, where corn is currently in season. June and July are wheat harvest season.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) issued a Similar warningalso on Tuesday.

Mr. Beasley emphasized that the problem of food insecurity will increase due to reduce products made from fertilizers from the Russian Federation and Belarus, which can lead to a 50% reduction in production in many countries.

“There will be difficult months ahead,” he warned.