Weekly Update #17
June 21

OVERVIEW OF CURRENT SITUATION

Individual refugees from Ukraine recorded across Europe

5,137,933

Last updated 16 Jun 2022

Refugees from Ukraine registered for Temporary Protection or similar national protection schemes in Europe

3,407,378

Last updated 16 Jun 2022

Border crossings from Ukraine (since 24 February 2022)*

7,703,857

Last updated 16 Jun 2022

Border crossings to Ukraine (since 28 February 2022)**

2,558,917

Refugees from Ukraine across Europe (as of 14 June 2022)

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), as of 14 June approximately 7.13 million people have been internally displaced (IOM -external-sitrep-10 June .pdf), approximately 16 per cent of the population. Of these, 63 per cent women and 36 per cent men), have been displaced as of 23 May, representing a decrease of 900,000 internally displaced persons (11 per cent) compared to figures from 3 May (fourth round of the report). Meanwhile, IOM estimates that approximately 4.48 million persons, including internally displaced persons and those who crossed into neighboring countries, have returned to their oblast of origin, although the situation remains unsteady.

In terms of refugee flows, as of June 17, UNHCR estimates there are over 5.1 million refugees present across Europe, and over 3.4 million refugees from Ukraine have registered for temporary protection or similar national protection schemes in Europe (UNHCR Situation Report June 17.pdf).

THE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS

THE UN RESPONSE

UKRAINE RESPONSE

Key figures - UKRAINE - a total of 1.4 million people reached with assistance as of 13 June:

• 532,713 people reached with essential food and non-food items, winter clothes and shelter materials

• 516,251 people enrolled for multipurpose cash assistance. 350,035 have received their first payment

• 295,216 people received protection assistance, advice and referrals at border crossing points, transit and reception centres and through hotlines

• 95,410 people received assistance through humanitarian convoys delivered to hard-hit areas

• 67,093 sleeping spaces created / improved in 189 reception centres and collective

Ukraine assistance

UNHCR continues to expand their services to address the increasing number of IDPs and refugees. Protection, multipurpose cash assistance, and emergency shelter services have all been scaled up, despite the challenges to reaching the most vulnerable groups due to continued fighting.

Protection services, both online and at border crossing points, are particularly a priority, given the trauma and shock that most suffer. Vital core relief items are also made immediately available, now having reached half a million people.

Regional assistance

Specific country-level assistance are shown below:

Country Highlights

Hungary

• 24,091 refugees have applied for temporary protection

• Over 13,700 people provided with protection support by UNHCR and partners, including legal information provision, counselling and psychosocial support (since 21 March)

• 1 Blue Dot operational in Záhony

• Over 1,400 people trained on core humanitar- ian principles, gender-based violence (GBV), safe disclosure and referrals, and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA)

• Over 64,000 visits to the UNHCR Hungary Help page

• UNHCR has conducted 104 site visits to shelters throughout the country, including official shelters designated by the authorities as well as privately and municipally-operated facilities

Moldova

• 62,661 people have received multipurpose cash assistance

• Some 1,600 refugees departed to Austria, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Spain and Switzerland as part of the Solidarity Platform

• 7 Blue Dots are now operational. Overall, 13,029 people have been supported at the Blue Dots between 14 March and 15 June, 6,520 of whom were children

• 40,074 refugees received protection infor- mation or counselling through UNHCR and partners

• 15,786 people received protection support via the UNHCR-managed ‘Green Line’ helpline

• Over 186,000 visits to the UNHCR Moldova Help page

• Twelve Member States of the European Union – Austria, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain – as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland have made pledges to transfer 19,870 refugees from Moldova as part of the EU Solidarity Platform

Poland

• 1,164,627 refugees have applied for temporary protection1

• 204,771 refugees enrolled for multipurpose cash assistance as of 6 June from a target of 360,000 people

• 12 Blue Dots operating with 17,000 people supported as of 13 June

• Over 2.1 million visits of the UNHCR Poland Help Page

• 695 people trained on protection issues, including anti-trafficking and the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA)

• The UNHCR Poland Help page continues to be the most visited UNHCR country Help site globally. It has surpassed over 2.1 million visits. The Help site has been updated with additional health and MHPSS-related content and contacts and key GBV referral numbers and services. A child-friendly page is also available.

• More than 200,00 Ukrainian children have been enrolled in Polish schools. On 10 June, UNHCR met with the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Education and Science to discuss accreditation of Ukrainian teachers.

Romania

• 37,832 refugees registered for temporary pro- tection

• Some 6,800 refugees enrolled for cash assis- tance as of 13 June

• Over 21,000 refugees provided with information and counselling in person or over the phone

• 10 Blue Dots operating in Romania

• 11,109 people supported to travel to Romania from Moldova through fast-track transfers

• Over 50,000 visits to the UNHCR Romania Help page

• UNHCR and the Romanian National Council for Refugees (CNRR) continue to be present and working at eight border crossing points to provide information and counselling to new arrivals. Information requested largely focuses on legal status, notably temporary protection, cash assistance, transportation to other EU countries, long-term accommodation and food, employment, education and access to medical services.

Slovakia

• 78,113 Refugees registered for temporary protection

• 45,054 refugees enrolled for cash assis- tance as of 13 June from an enrolment target of 57,500 people

• 1 Blue Dot operating in Slovakia

• Over 75,000 visits to the UNHCR Slovakia Help page

• UNHCR identified ten national helplines relating to GBV/Child protection and related services and included them as part of referral pathways which are currently being expanded to include service providers across the country. Service providers include those providing services related to MHPSS, safety, legal counselling, and anti-trafficking

Shelter and non-food items

IOM continues to provide temporary shelter assistance to affected populations where shelter conditions are inadequate in Ukraine and in neighbouring countries. Technical assistance and infrastructural upgrades for 20 centers.

Health

IOM clinics have provided health services to 4,400 persons across 77 locations since the start of the war. In addition, In addition, IOM teams in Ukraine, Moldova, and Poland are continuing to assist with the transportation and support of medically vulnerable cases to EU countries through the TRANSMED initiative. Psychosocial mobile teams have also been deployed in Poland to provide individual and group counseling

Cash-based interventions

Multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA) has been available across Ukraine, with 120,438 displaced people and host community members registered and 74,500 assisted to date.

Displacement tracking

Since February, IOM Ukraine has released five rounds of displacement tracking reports that provide data and information to support programs and services for IDPs within Ukraine.

Protection

IOM provides face-to-face legal consultations to persons staying in reception centres. These have been done for refugees in Poland, Slovakia, Belarus, Ireland, Romania and Hungary.

Humanitarian transport

Since the start of the conflict, IOM’s humanitarian movement assistance has expanded to include movement activities aimed at decongesting border areas. For example, a total of 10,850 people have been transported through the Green Corridor of Romania, in collaboration with UNHCR. Similarly, in Moldova, flights to other European countries, such as, France, Spain, Austria, Germany and Switzerland have been arranged to transport almost 1,500 refugees.

Water sanitation and hygiene

IOM works with the WASH cluster coordinated by UNICEF to rehabilitate sewage systems and toilets in Ukraine. Eleven assessments of WASH conditions have been made across three regions, while water treatment chemicals and hygiene kits have been distributed.

Ukraine’s health system is facing multiple challenges. Access to health care is severely impacted due to security concerns, restricted mobility, broken supply chains and mass displacement. Health care continues to come under attack (which includes attacks against health facilities, transport, personnel, patients, supplies and warehouses), with a total of 295 attacks1 on health care, resulting in 59 injuries and 76 deaths, reported between 24 February and 15 June.

The health sector response continues to prioritize saving lives and protecting mental health. Actions focus on ensuring access to emergency health care. WHO continues to support the Ministry of Health (MoH) of Ukraine and the MoHs of the refugee-hosting countries to ensure safe medical evacuation of patients. Transportation of patients within Ukraine is ensured by the national emergency services, while transportation across the border to the European Union (EU) is managed by international EMTs and coordinated by the CADUS team, a German nongovernmental organization (NGO) providing EMT support. As of 14 June, at least 641 patients (78% of the requests) have been medically evacuated from Poland, the Republic of Moldova, Slovakia and Ukraine via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to 13 European countries (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Sweden).

WHO’s actions focus around five areas: i) health information and operations; ii) supplies and logistics, iii) risk communication and community engagement and external communications, iv) operational partnerships, v) leadership and coordination. Highlights of their activities during the past 2 weeks include:

Health information

• Collaboration with the National Health Service of Ukraine on strategic planning for health care financing,

• Supporting vaccinations against COVID-19, measles, mumps, rubella, and diphtheria,

Supplies and logistics

• Delivery of 615 metric tonnes of medical supplies to most affected areas, comprising of trauma and emergency surgery supplies (TESKs), interagency emergency medical supplies (IEHKs), blood transfusion materials, essential medicines, and other critical supplies,

• Delivery of medical supplies from the WHO supply and logistics base in Lviv to affected oblasts amidst fuel shortages, limited warehouse capacity, and security restrictions due to ongoing military operations,

Risk communication and community engagement and external communications

• Producing information materials on disease prevention and treatment, particularly on cholera and mental health

Operational partnerships

• Responding to 4604 outpatient visits, of which 16% (736 outpatient visits) were infectious diseases and 14% (644 outpatient visits) were trauma

Leadership and coordination

• As of 8 June, coordinating the Health Cluster Ukraine which has 136 international and local Partners, with planned, ongoing and/or completed health-related activities in 24 oblasts.

In refugee-hosting countries, WHO collaborates with host governments in assessing and responding to the health needs of refugees. Assistance includes developing needed tools, mapping of important actors and partners, and planning services to address the full range of health services.

REPORTING PERIOD HIGHLIGHTS

In line with its core mandate, the UNICEF response to the Ukrainian crisis revolves around the following areas: i) health, ii) nutrition, iii) child protection, iv) education, v) water sanitation and hygiene, vi) social protection.

In its cumulative report covering the period since the beginning of the conflict to date, the following results have been reached.

Highlights of their work in these areas include the following:

Health and nutrition

2,195,369 people in Ukraine have been able to access health care as a result of supplies distributed, either directly by UNICEF or in partnership with implementing organizations. Services have focused on delivering essential medical equipment (gynecological, cold chain, ventilators) to health facilities and providing capacity building training to frontliners.

Child protection

A system for child protection is in place to provide health, social, and legal services for children that include professional psychologists, information materials on GBV, cash assistance, and a toll-free Child Helpline. More than 50,000 children have received psychological counseling within a case management context.

Education

UNICEF continues supporting digital education in Ukraine through the All-Ukrainian School Online platform, together with partners, for grades 5 to 11. Together with partners, UNICEF is enhancing the technical and accessibility features of the online platform and developing video content for Grades 5 to11. Within this program, more than 136,500 children benefitted from the video classes during the reporting period.

Water sanitation and hygiene

UNICEF has ensured access to safe water for 2,576,509 people, mostly through support to the water companies with water treatment chemicals and equipment but also through water trucking, bottled water distribution and supporting water availability in collective centers and other key locations. In addition, 265,952 people have been reached with In addition, 265,952 people have been reached with WASH supplies

Social protection

A total of 24,764 households were reached with multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA) with a total value of US$ 25,241,599.

FAITH AND INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY RESPONSE

Boy asks Pope Francis: 'Can you come to Ukraine to save all the children?'

Pope Francis had a poignant exchange Saturday with a young Ukrainian boy who asked him to visit Ukraine "to save all the children who are suffering there now."

The conversation took place at the Vatican where the pope met with 160 schoolchildren of various faiths participating in the program “Treno dei Bambini," Italian for “Children’s Train," an initiative of the Pontifical Council for Culture in collaboration with the Italian state railways.

The request for Pope Francis to visit Ukraine came from a young Ukrainian boy named Sachar, who left Ukraine as a refugee and now lives in Rome, according to Vatican Media.

"I do not have a question but a request: Can you come to Ukraine to save all the children who are suffering there now?" the boy asked.

"I am glad that you are here. I think a lot about the children of Ukraine, and for that I have sent some cardinals to help there and to be close to all the people, to the children," responded the pope, who was seated in his wheelchair.

"I would like to go to Ukraine," he continued. "I just have to wait for the moment to do it, you know, because it's not easy to make a decision that can do more harm than good to the whole world."

The pope went on to say that "this coming week I will be receiving representatives of the Ukrainian government, who will come to talk, also to talk about my possible visit there. Let's see what happens." You can watch the pope's interactions with the children in the EWTN video below:

June 3 marked the 100th day of the war in Ukraine. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, since Russia's invasion began on Feb. 24, 4,183 Ukrainian civilians have been killed, of whom 268 are minors. In addition, 5,014 people have been injured, including 427 minors.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that nearly 7 million refugees have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries since the fighting started, and millions more have been displaced from their homes to other parts of Ukraine.

This story was originally published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language sister news agency. The story was translated and edited by CNA.

Pope: 'Ask yourselves what you are doing for the people of Ukraine?'

Pope Francis asks us not to forget.

“Let’s not forget the battered Ukrainian people at this time, a people that is suffering. I would like to invite you all to ask yourselves a question: what am I doing today for the Ukrainian people?”

Alluding to a collective human responsibility the Pope added:

“Do I pray? Do I act? Do I try to understand? What do I do today for Ukrainians? Answer that question within your hearts.”

COMECE to European Council: Renew efforts for peace in Ukraine

The Bishops of the European Union urge EU leaders to offer a strategic vision for stability and peace, and call for a credible enlargement process for the bloc, including accession talks for Albania and North Macedonia, and candidate status for Ukraine.

READ THE STATEMENT:

https://www.comece.eu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/2022-06-17-Statement-Backgroound-Peace-EXTERN.pdf

By Benedict Mayaki SJ

The Commission of Bishops Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) has called on European leaders to “renew their efforts for peace in Ukraine and to implement a credible EU enlargement process.”

The bishops made this appeal as the European leaders prepare for the 23 – 24 June meeting of the European Council in the context of the ongoing geopolitical shifts dramatically accelerated by the war in Ukraine which began in February.

In a statement released on Friday titled “Europe, renew your vocation to promote peace,” the Bishops urged the EU to fully realize the importance of its role, in order to offer a renewed vision for stability, justice and peace to the continent and to the world.

Ukrainian refugees: ‘Wherever you go, look for Caritas’

As Caritas Lithuania continues to offer long-term aid to Ukrainian refugees, Ernesta Karnilaitė says Catholic priests in Ukraine are telling people to look to Caritas for assistance, no matter to which country they flee.

OTHER CATHOLIC ORGANIZATIONS’ SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE

CNEWA’s president, Msgr. Peter I. Vaccari, has authorized the release of $850,000 in funds — to date totaling more than $2.7 million — to support church-based efforts to help Ukrainians displaced by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, now in its third month.

Where the suffering is unimaginable

The Catholic Church gives strength to the people of Ukraine. With the support of foreign partners such as Renovabis, humanitarian emergency aid measures began immediately after the start of the war. A report by Markus Nowak.