Weekly Update #7
April 7-12

According to the second IOM Internal Displacement Report, there is a total of 11,276,557 people displaced internally including refugees fleeing across the region (IOM_Ukraine Displacement Report_Round 2 (2).pdf).

As of April 6, 2022, more than 4.3 million refugees have fled Ukraine, making this the fastest growing refugee crisis since World War II. A further 7.1 million people have been displaced internally within Ukraine, according to the second Ukraine Internal Displacement Report issued by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). This represents a 10 per cent increase in number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ukraine since the first round of the survey on 16 March.

In total, approximately 11 million people have been displaced within the country and across international borders, including nearly 4.3 million people, mainly women and children, who have fled across international borders – a 30 per cent increase compared to around 3.3 million as of 18 March. Based on the information provided by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) received from the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, more than 537,000 people have crossed into Ukraine since 24 February. This is a significant figure that suggests that migration back to Ukraine is likely increasing, potentially creating new challenges for the humanitarian response as people will need support to reintegrate into their communities or find suitable host communities if returning to their homes is no longer a viable option.

Poland continues to welcome more than half of the refugee influx.

Within the first month of the war, the income of displaced households dropped sharply. While only 13 per cent of now displaced households reported a monthly income under 5,000 Ukrainian hryvnias (USD 170) prior to 24 February 2022, currently 61 per cent of them indicate that their household income has been lower than 5,000 hryvnias since the start of the war.

Over one third of displaced households indicate that they have had no income in the last month.

Cash and financial support, transportation, food, shelter, and hygiene items are among the most pressing needs for displaced people. Access to medicines and health services remains the second most pressing need for both those displaced, and those staying at their places of residence.

REPORT LINKS:

https://displacement.iom.int/reports/ukraine-internal-displacement-report-general-population-survey-round-2-24-march-1-april

SECOND IOM DISPLACEMENT REPORT.pdf

Russia continues shelling of Ukraine

Mariupol (Donetska oblast, east) is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. According to local authorities, the situation is much worse than in Bucha and other towns outside Kyiv (Kyivska oblast, north), where laws-of-war violations were allegedly committed against civilians. Mariupol’s Mayor Vadym Boichenko called on the international community to help push forward evacuation processes for 130,000 people still trapped in the city without access to food, water and medicine ( OCHA_Ukraine - Humanitarian Impact Situation Report (As of 1200 p.m. (EET) on 6 April 2022).txt)

As active fighting and shelling intensify in eastern Ukraine, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vershchuk urges residents across eastern Donetska, Kharkivska and Luhanska oblasts to evacuate while it is still possible, warning that a further escalation could potentially cut off evacuation corridors. (OCHA_Ukraine - Humanitarian Impact Situation Report (As of 1200 p.m. (EET) on 6 April 2022).txt)

The situation in the most affected areas of northern, southern and eastern Ukraine is becoming increasingly dire as active hostilities intensify in existing hotspots and expand into new areas previously spared the worst of the ongoing military offensive. As of 5 April, the civilian toll stands at 3,776 – including 1,563 killed – according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OCHA_Ukraine - Humanitarian Impact Situation Report (As of 1200 p.m. (EET) on 6 April 2022).txt)

Shelling and hostilities continue in Lysychansk, Hirskehromada, Popasna, Rubizhne and Sievierodonetsk in Eastern Ukraine, where it is reported that over the weekend, more than 140 people were killed in the Luhansk region. Despite the ongoing hostilities, between 30 March and 3 April, more than 5,000 people were evacuated from the region. (https://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/ukraine-humanitarian-impact-situation-report-1200-pm-eet-6-april-2022)

In Donetsk, there are an estimated 90,000 households without electricity. Water supply also remains an alarming issue with local authorities having decided to make water available for two hours within a 48-hour period, and in other cities within a 72- hour period.

Following the retreat of Russian forces from the suburbs of Kyiv, Ukraine, at the end of March, reports emerged of hundreds of civilian casualties in previously Russian-occupied areas. Ukrainian authorities have identified the bodies of at least 410 men, women and children in the town of Bucha, many of which were buried in mass graves while others were discovered slain in the street. Reports of targeted killings of civilians in other previously occupied suburbs have also started to emerge. (https://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/atrocity-alert-no-295-ukraine-venezuela-and-nigeria)

Health care facilities attacked

On April 7, 2022, WHO reported the 100^th attack on health care facilities in Ukraine, claiming 73 lives and injuring 51 (https://www.who.int/news/item/07-04-2022-who-records-100th-attack-on-health-care-in-ukraine).

Of the current total of 103 attacks, 89 have impacted health facilities and 13 have impacted transport, including ambulances. “We are outraged that attacks on health care are continuing. Attacks on health care are a violation of international humanitarian law, said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, at a press conference. “Peace is the only way forward. I again call on the Russian Federation to stop the war.”

This milestone of over 100 attacks on health spans barely 42 days since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began. The impact of this violence is not only immediate, in the numbers of deaths and injuries – but also long-term in the consequences for Ukraine’s health care system. It’s a major blow to the country’s efforts to institute health reforms and achieve universal health coverage, a goal it had made significant progress on before the war erupted.

“Across Ukraine, 1000 health facilities are in proximity to conflict areas or in changed areas of control,” explained Dr Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative in Ukraine. “Health workers throughout the country are risking their lives to serve those in need of medical services, and they, and their patients, must never be targeted. Further, when people are prevented from seeking and accessing health care, either because the facilities have been destroyed or out of fear that they may become a target, they lose hope. The mental health toll wreaked by the war cannot be underestimated, affecting civilians and the health workforce alike."

Russia suspended from Human Rights Council

On 7 April 2022, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on Thursday calling for Russia to be suspended from the Human Rights Council. (https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/04/1115782)

The resolution received a two-thirds majority of those voting, minus abstentions, in the 193-member Assembly, with 93 nations voting in favor and 24 against. Fifty-eight abstained from the process. Russia, China, Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Syria, Vietnam, were among those who voted against. Those abstaining, included India, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Pakistan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia.

The resolution was triggered by disturbing photos and reports released this past weekend, from the city of Bucha, a suburb of the capital, Kyiv, where hundreds of civilian bodies were found in the streets and in mass graves following Russia’s withdrawal from the area.

This is not the first time that a Member State has had its membership of the Human Rights Council suspended. Libya lost its seat in 2011, following repression of protests by ruler Muammar Gaddafi, who was later overthrown.

Civilian evacuations halted

On 4 and 5 April, the Government of Ukraine reported that more than 7,220 people were reportedly evacuated through agreed-upon corridors, including nearly 3,050 from the ravaged city of Mariupol. After being blocked at a civilian checkpoint in the town of Manhush (Donetska oblast), a convoy of seven buses attempting to reach Mariupol, accompanied by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), was forced to turn back. (https://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/ukraine-humanitarian-impact-situation-report-1200-pm-eet-6-april-2022)

The already dire situation in Mariupol is greatly exacerbated by the repeated delay of humanitarian corridors that prevents the evacuation of vulnerable people and the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance. For more than five weeks, at least 130,000 people stuck in the city have faced critical shortages of food, water and medicines and remain cut off from electricity and communications. On 4 April, local authorities warned that the situation in Mariupol is much worse than in Bucha and other towns on the outskirts of Kyiv, where laws-of-war violations have been allegedly committed against civilian populations.

Children becoming most vulnerable

Over a month of war is taking a devastating toll on millions of people in Ukraine, particularly children and the vulnerable. UNICED reports so far, 4.3 million children have been displaced from their homes and millions more are in desperate need of safety, stability and protection (https://www.unicef.org/ukraine/en/stories/subways-become-safe-spaces-for-children).

As the gunfire and shelling escalates, UNICEF Ukraine is making efforts to build the capacities of NGOs and youth organizations across the country, in order to address the mental health impact of the war and promote the psychosocial wellbeing of those who have been affected by the conflict.

UN continues facilitation of humanitarian assistance convoys

On 5 April, a fourth UN-organized convoy facilitated by OCHA through the Humanitarian Notification System (HNS) delivered eight trucks of critical relief supplies for some 17,000 people in Sievierodonetsk (Luhanska oblast, east). (OCHA_Ukraine - Humanitarian Impact Situation Report (As of 1200 p.m. (EET) on 6 April 2022).txt)

The convoy brought ready-to-eat meals, canned goods, flour, plastic sheeting, blankets and other essential relief items, including four hospital generators, expected to benefit at least 17,000 affected people. These items provided by IOM, INGO People In Need (PIN), UNHCR, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) will be distributed to those most in need through the Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS).

According to the Government of Ukraine, as of 6 April, nearly 145,720 tons of humanitarian aid have been delivered to Ukraine from abroad, including 879 tons to Donetska oblast (GCA), almost 2,810 tons to neighbouring Kharkivska oblast and some 70 tons to Luhanska oblast (GCA). Meanwhile, as of 6 April, the Russian Federation reports that it has delivered nearly 12,040 tons of aid to Donetska and Luhanska oblasts (NGCA) and seven other oblasts of Ukraine (Chernihivska (north), Kharkivska, Khersonska (south), Kyivska, Mykolaivska (south), Sumska (north-east) and Zaporizka), including 130 tons delivered to Khersonska and Mykolaivska oblasts on 5 April.

On 5 April, WFP, through its partner the Ukrainian Red Cross, managed to successfully deliver food (five days RRR) to close to 12,000 residents in dire conditions in Chernihiv, considered one of the worst-affected cities in northern Ukraine (WFP-0000138330_6 April.pdf)

Humanitarian partners also continue to scale up their response efforts to match the growing scale of needs in Ukraine. Between 26 March and 1 April, the Danish Red Cross (DRC) received more than 605 tons of relief supplies from Red Cross and Red Crescent (RCRC) Movement partners at the five DRC warehouses in Chernivisti (Chernivetska oblast, west), distributing around 515 tons of humanitarian aid to affected people. Since the escalation of the conflict, DRC has dispatched around 1,850 tons of relief items, providing support to almost 170,000 people.

Similarly, in Slovakia, as part of a new agreement between IOM and Flexport, totalling USD 500,000 for in-kind transportation, the first eight trucks have been scheduled to depart from Turkey on 6 April to Kosice, Slovakia. A total of 85 trucks will be donated to IOM through this agreement (IOM-regional-ukraine-response-external-sitrep-07042022-final.pdf).

At the global level, ECHO has granted IOM permission to use their warehouse in Suceava, Romania, allowing IOM to open a new corridor directly into Ukraine from Romania. The final details are being discussed.

Coordinating across the UN system, on 6 April, humanitarian partners delivered eight trucks of critical supplies for people in the city of Sievierodonetsk in Luhansk oblast. The convoy brought food rations, flour, plastic sheeting and blankets for some 17,000 people, as well as four hospital electricity generators, from IOM, People in Need (PiN), UNHCR, UNICEF and WFP.

Arrangement of humanitarian transportation

As refugees and third country nationals cross into countries neighbouring Ukraine, IOM continues to facilitate transportation assistance within the receiving countries as well as onwards movement for resettlement and family reunification (IOM-regional-ukraine-response-external-sitrep-07042022-final.pdf).

Alongside air transport, IOM continued to facilitate the transport of persons through the humanitarian “Green Corridor” between Moldova and Romania. The mission registered and conducted pre-embarkation health checks for 109 passengers on 5 April. Between 9 March and 5 April, over 6,895 people were transported through the Green Corridor. In partnership with Telecoms sans Frontiers, the mission also installed 20 internet devices on buses transiting the corridor, allowing for free internet throughout the journey to Romania.

UNHCR continues to support bus transfers from Palanca border crossing point to Romaniain support to the Moldovan and Romanian authorities as well as through partner ACTED, and in coordination with IOM, in order to reduce the pressure in border areas in Moldova. To date, some 34,800 refugees were supported with safe onwards transport from Moldova (Ukraine situation flash update No 7 06 04 2022 _edited (1).txt)

Ensuring protection of refugees

The protection situation for most women and children, especially those on the move or trapped inside cities experiencing active hostilities, continues to worsen.

More than 36,000 people have received targeted protection assistance. Providing protection counselling and services, including psychosocial support and legal aid, at border crossing points, online and in locations where people have fled is a key priority for UNHCR (UNHCR situation flash update 06 04 2022 _edited.pdf)

This includes more than 11,000 people who received information and counselling through hotlines; over 9,600 people who received protection support or counselling; over 5,600 who received in-person protection information; almost 3,700 people who received psychosocial support or psychological first aid; more than 2,300 people who received legal counselling or assistance; more than 2,200 who received social support; some 1,000 people who received support for transport; in addition to almost 370 protection monitoring missions.

UNHCR continues to carry out needs assessments in transit and reception centres to provide targeted support to increase the reception capacity for internally displaced persons (IDPs). Some 60 assessments have been carried out with local authorities, while 12 centres are currently being refurbished. This is in addition to 73 other centres which have been equipped with NFIs to increase hosting capacity.

UNHCR is coordinating closely with national and local authorities to reduce the potential risks of gender-based violence (GBV), strengthening prevention and response activities in areas with a high number of IDPs, in collaboration with the social services.

UNHCR is also focusing on capacity development to improve prevention of and response to GBV. 126 frontline responders have been trained on GBV and related topics. UNHCR conducted training for 54 persons on GBV, while the GBV Sub-Working Group in Moldova, co-chaired by UNHCR and UNFPA, trained another 72 people on GBV, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) and trafficking.

UNICEF and UNHCR continue operating three Blue Dot at the Otaci and Palanca border crossing points, as well as at the MoldExpo reception centre in Chisinau. So far, some 5,000 children and caregivers have been supported.

A strong component of IOM’s response both regionally and in specific countries is the provision of individual protection assistance and case management to persons with specific needs and vulnerabilities (IOM-regional-ukraine-response-external-sitrep-07042022-final.pdf). In Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, services such as hotlines, information centers, and consultations are in place to handle concerns related to migration, stay extensions, and border crossings.

Activities to help refugees on the Ukrainian border

War in Ukraine: Human Agony, Global Crisis, Moral Principles – Webinar Recording