Destruction in Ukraine. Photo from the archive The head of the UN migration agency called for expanded humanitarian support for Ukraine Humanitarian assistance
The Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Amy Pope, who visited Ukraine for a five-day visit, called on the world community to show more solidarity with this country and expand humanitarian support for Ukrainians.
Housing for Ukrainians
In Kyiv, the head of IOM was warmly welcomed by the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky. “We are grateful to IOM for helping Ukrainian families. First of all, with housing. This is the main priority for those whose lives have been destroyed by the war,” he said, adding that Ukraine expects further support from the organization.
Trip to Odessa and Nikolaev
Amy Pope arrived in the capital after touring hard-hit areas, including Odessa and Nikolaev. She paid tribute to the resilience of the Ukrainian people and the reconstruction efforts led by local and national authorities, but warned the international community that Ukrainians still need help and support.
Read also:
Special report from Ukraine | Bucha and Irpen two years later
“I am inspired and admired by the resilience of the local residents with whom I had the opportunity to communicate – women who came from the regions who were under active shelling and had to abandon their homes and all their belongings to get their children out,” Pope said after meeting with displaced people at a shelter set up in frontline Nikolaev with support from IOM.
“We couldn’t take anything with us”
Among them was a migrant from Kherson Lyudmila. “Our house was hit by a rocket, but we survived. The glass shattered. We managed to cover ourselves with blankets to avoid injury. Then we ran out to the car and drove away. We couldn’t take anything with us,” she told Amy Pope.
Constant shelling
The visit of the IOM Director General to Ukraine coincided with another series of air strikes, as a result of which in the eastern and southern areas of Ukraine killed dozens of civilians. “These constant attacks remind us of the enormous resilience of Ukrainians and that they need support,” she said. “Displaced people and their host communities are in urgent need of assistance as they continue to suffer from rocket attacks, infrastructure destruction and frequent power outages.”
IOM estimates that more than 3.3 million people, including 800,000 children, living along the front lines are in dire need of emergency assistance.
40 percent of the population needs help
As the war enters a protracted phase, at least 14.6 million people – 40 percent of Ukraine’s population – are in need of humanitarian assistance. The scale of the crisis is staggering, the IOM notes, and yet the number of victims continues to grow every day.
Amy Pope’s trip to Ukraine began at the Palanca border crossing, located near Chisinau, Moldova. Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine at this point, as well as in other areas of Moldova, IOM has provided assistance to thousands of Ukrainian refugees heading to the countries of the European Union.
Further cooperation agreements
During the visit, Pope signed updated bilateral cooperation agreements with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry economy of Ukraine. The documents provide for assistance in rebuilding the country and reviving its economy.
At a meeting with donors in Kyiv on Thursday, the IOM Director-General called on the international community to continue providing assistance to Ukraine and “not turn away from it at this critical moment.”
Three-Year Plan to Support Ukraine
IOM requires $1.5 billion in assistance to Ukraine, according to recently released strategic plan and 11 countries in the region over the next three years. The IOM estimated operations in Ukraine alone in 2024 at $370.3 million.