UN allocates USD 100.000 to assist Ukrainian homeless suffering from severe weather conditions
The United Nations allocated 100.000 USD upon the request of the Ministry of Social Policy and the National Red Cross Committee. The funds will be directed to assist people suffering from worsened weather conditions, in particular homeless people.
To address this emergency the Government of Ukraine together with the National Red Cross Committee have opened 3486 warming stations which provide daily assistance to nearly 10.000 of the most vulnerable. Starting from January 27th, more than 180.000 people were helped. All of the warming centers provide relief items andfood, they are equipped with first-aid kits and medical bandaging material.
Ukraine has been the most affected among the countries of Europe with temperatures oscillating between -12 and -30 Celsius for the last two weeks. It is expected that severe weather conditions in Ukraine will continue until the end of the month. According to the Ministry of Healthcare of Ukraine, 112 people had perished and nearly 5000 people had sought medical help for frostbites and hypothermia. The majority of the death is among homeless and older people whose houses are not sufficiently heated.
Today it remains crucial that these emergency centers continue to operate to prevent further cases of hypothermia, and to provide the most vulnerable with the medical assistance as well as clothes, toiletries, warm food and other relief items.
The UN grant of $100.000 will cover purchase of disaster victim assistance items. The allocated funds will be distributed between all the regions.
OCHA Emergency Cash Grant is an emergency fund, up to $100,000 USD. This amount can be complemented with emergency funds whose administration has been trusted to OCHA by many donors (Italy, Denmark, Norway, United Kingdom, and Ireland) that can be used immediately.
The grant may be requested when disaster exceed the local response capacity of the country and the country requests international support.
Ukraine has benefited from the Emergency cash grant by OCHA several times before to neutralize the consequences of the disaster floods in the Western Ukraine.
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More information:
The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is the part of the United Nations Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies.
The UN Office in Ukraine has been operating upon the invitation of the Government of Ukraine since 1992. Today the blue flag of the United Nations rises above its office located at 1 Klovsky uzviz, 1.
The following UN institutions work in Ukraine: UN Development Program (UNDP), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Organization for Migration, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), World Health Organization, International Labor Organization, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). The country also hosts associated UN organizations, such as International Monetary Fund, World Bank, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and International Finance Corporation (IMF) which is a member of the World Bank Group. These organizations work in different areas and with their own strategies, but are united by an overriding strategic goal: to assist the people of Ukraine in their efforts to build a better future for the country.
For further information please contact Eugene Zelenko, UNDP in Ukraine Communications Officer, via Yevgeniy.Zelenko@undp.org. or call (044) 254 0035.
