UN Requests $5.7 Billion in Humanitarian Aid for Ukrainians

A record $51.5 billion must be raised to support 230 million of the most vulnerable people in 2023. The UN has already provided assistance to 13.6 million Ukrainians affected by the war. A total of $5.7 billion is requested for Ukraine for the next year, the UN news center reports. According to U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths, the war in Ukraine “has turned parts of Europe into a battlefield”, and “the situation is not getting any easier as winter approaches.” According to the U.N. report, nine months of war between Russia and Ukraine have impaired food exports, and some 45 million people in 37 countries are now starving. As noted, the UN Global Humanitarian Survey mentions that a record $51.5 billion needs to be raised to help 230 million of the most vulnerable people in 2023, a 25% increase from this year. Next year, the UN estimates that another 65 million people will need help, bringing the total number of people in 68 countries to 339 million. That accounts for more than 4 percent of the people worldwide, or about the size of the U.S. population. “The humanitarian needs are shockingly high as this year’s extremes spill over into 2023,” Griffiths noted. It will be “very difficult” to get the full amount requested from donors, he said. “This year, the UN Global Humanitarian Appeal was only 47 percent funded. Compared to previous years, when the funding level was as high as 60-65%, this is a clear failure,” said the UN deputy head. Recall that the UN has updated the data on Ukrainian refugees. Thus, the European countries already host more than 4.75 million of Ukrainian citizens registered as refugees who have left the country because of Russia’s full-scale invasion.