UN appeals for $4.2B to support 10.8M Ukrainians in 2024

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), along with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), appealed for a total of $4.2 billion to support 10.8 million people in Ukraine, including 2.3 million refugees, throughout 2024.

Martin Griffiths, the under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, told a joint press briefing in Geneva that 14.6 million people need humanitarian assistance in Ukraine, a "staggering" 40% of the population.

Coordinating the response inside Ukraine, OCHA requests $3.1 billion for 2024 and targets 8.5 million people, Griffiths said.

He noted that the budget was reduced from last year's appeal of $3.9 billion and said that it was 67% funded, calling the "best level of funding" in the world last year.

OCHA is "trying to keep the numbers down so that we can make sure we get as much as we can prioritize people," he said. "We have to improve on the percentage, but Ukraine has been relatively well funded."

Filippo Grandi, the UN high commissioner for refugees, stressed that some 6.3 million people have fled the country and remain refugees, mostly across Europe.

UNHCR coordinates the Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP) and requests $1.1 billion, targeting 2.3 million refugees and host communities, Grandi said.

In total, the two highly prioritized UN plans aim to support some 10.8 million people in Ukraine and the region.

Russia's war on Ukraine is set to enter its third year in February.