The Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ROLAC) of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has significant experience responding to large-scale disasters. In mid-February 2022, two UN Volunteers were among four ROLAC personnel deployed to Ukraine to support the OCHA country office with international rapid response capacity, amid rising tensions. Read more on the UNV emergency response to the war in Ukraine.
Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Ms. Osnat Lubrani, calls for the protection of critical civilian infrastructure in eastern Ukraine [EN/RU/UK]
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Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Ms. Osnat Lubrani, calls for the protection of critical civilian infrastructure in eastern Ukraine
(Kyiv, 7 May 2021). I welcome the unanimous adoption of Security Council Resolution 2573 (27 April 2021) on the protection of civilians in armed conflict. I find it timely for a Security Council Resolution to place a primary focus on the destruction of critical civilian objects for the first time as we observe a worrying increase in attacks that affect vital civilian infrastructure in eastern Ukraine.
The Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine shares the plight of people in eastern Ukraine and hopes for a better year ahead [EN/RU/UK]
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(Kyiv, 18 December 2020) At a time when many of us are facing the challenge of how to safely celebrate this holiday season amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, I want to draw attention to the additional hardship faced by the people of eastern Ukraine.
This year has been a year of increased suffering and disconnection for those living in the conflict-torn region. The almost complete closure of the crossing points in late March further split the communities already divided by the ‘contact line’, with the number of crossings last month representing only 3 per cent of the 1.1 million recorded in November 2019. For nine months, conflict-weary people on both sides have had almost no opportunity to visit or to connect with their families and friends. Hundreds of thousands of them have also not been able to access essential services and hard-earned pensio