New York / TEH: The United Nations announced, on Wednesday, that the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, is currently on his way to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, to explore opportunities for a humanitarian truce.
Since February 24, Russia has launched a military attack in its neighbor Ukraine, which has caused a humanitarian crisis and angry international reactions.
“After the end of his mission to Russia (during which he met with Russian officials), the Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths is now on his way to Ukraine,” said a spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric.
Dujarric added, during a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York, that “(Griffiths) is expected to meet with senior government officials to explore opportunities for a humanitarian truce.”
On Tuesday, Griffiths told members of the UN Security Council during a session that “there is a long way to go” to reach a mutual and agreed-upon ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine and allow the evacuation of civilians.
“In terms of funding, our urgent humanitarian appeal for Ukraine ($1.1 billion) receives 58 percent of the total amount,” Dujarric added.
“More money is needed to help people whose lives have been upended by the war,” he added.
“On the ground in Ukraine, more than six million men, women and children struggle every day to get water,” he added.
He explained that “the damage to infrastructure has left more than 1.4 million people without clean water, most of them in Lugansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv and Mykolaiv.”
“Another 4.6 million people suffer from limited access to water or depend on unsafe sources,” he added.
He continued, “In the city of Lozova in Kharkiv, more than 60,000 people have been cut off from water supply and 40,000 others have been without electricity since April 2 due to heavy fighting.”
“The United Nations has received reports, over the past few days, of an increase in fighting, shelling and clashes in the Donbass region in the east as well as in southern Ukraine,” Dujarric said.
