Country: Ukraine Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Please refer to the attached file. As delivered Madam President, Excellencies, Building on the political and security developments outlined by my colleague Assistant-Secretary-General Khiari, let me highlight the humanitarian realities we are seeing across Ukraine. Since we last briefed this Council one month ago, attacks have intensified – and civilians continue to bear the brunt. Missile, drone and artillery strikes have hit residential areas, public transport, energy systems and port infrastructure. Hostilities over the weekend caused civilian casualties and damage to homes and other civilian infrastructure on both sides of the frontline. A massive wave of overnight strikes last week affecting Dnipro, Kyiv and Odesa killed over 21 civilians and injured over 140 people. The week before a strike hitting a public bus in Nikopol in broad daylight killed four people and injured 16 more. Homes damaged once are hit again. Schools and essential services remain under immense strain. Damage to energy infrastructure has created a systemic shock, disrupting electricity, water, heating and essential services on which millions depend. Power outages on both sides of the front line are compounding hardship for already vulnerable communities. Hostilities are increasingly affecting urban residential areas. The geographic spread of strikes is widening. Damage to key access routes is further constraining civilian movement and limiting the reach of humanitarians. Madam President, Continued damage to energy infrastructure is expected to have far-reaching humanitarian consequences through the summer months and into the next winter season. International humanitarian law is clear. Civilians and the infrastructure essential to their well-being must be protected. Medical facilities, energy systems, and water services on which civilians depend must be spared. Attacks that disrupt these systems deepen humanitarian needs and prolong human suffering. Humanitarian partners are supporting urgent repairs to energy networks, housing, health services and water systems – while preparing for summer pressures and the next - and fifth - winter since the 2022 escalation of this war. Madam President, Humanitarian needs remain vast, even as diplomatic efforts continue. Despite ongoing hostilities, we and our partners continue to support communities close to the front line, wherever access allows. Mobile teams continue to provide healthcare, mental health and psychosocial support, and other essential services. Just last week, an inter-agency convoy facilitated by OCHA delivered essential hygiene supplies to more than 600 people, including children and older persons, in a front-line community in Mykolaiv oblast exposed to constant shelling. Another inter-agency convoy reached Kherson. Humanitarian partners also continue to help evacuate people from front-line communities. In recent days, hundreds of civilians, including many children, have been assisted to reach safer locations and supported through transit centres. However, our access remains constrained in some areas due to the intensity of hostilities and many vulnerable civilians still remain in areas close to the front line. Madam President, The growing use of armed drones is creating a daily dilemma for humanitarian actors: how to remain present where needs are greatest while keeping their staff safe. Evacuation teams regularly report drone strikes affecting their operations. Humanitarians must be protected and their work facilitated so they can provide relief to civilians in need wherever they are located, in accordance with humanitarian principles. As we have repeatedly underscored before this Council, respect for the rules of war and the protection of civilians is not optional – it is a legal obligation. Madam President, The Global Humanitarian Overview launched last December is a snapshot in time. In Ukraine, however, needs continue to evolve and increase. Humanitarian partners are prioritizing those facing the greatest risk, but needs continue to outpace resources. Of the 10.8 million people requiring humanitarian assistance this year, millions remain beyond our reach. Nearly three quarters of the US$2.3 billion needed to assist the targeted 4.1 million people – nearly one in every eight Ukrainians – remain unfunded. That’s almost $1.7 billion dollars still to be funded. The regional refugee response also requires substantial funding. The paucity of funding has direct consequences for people’s lives. It determines whether communities can access essential services. Whether displaced families can access shelter support. Whether people living close to the front line can receive life-saving assistance before conditions deteriorate further. Without early and sustained financial contributions, humanitarians are forced to scale back assistance precisely when needs are surging. Timely funding reduces vulnerability. Delayed funding increases it. Madam President, My three asks are not new – but they remain urgent. First, use your influence to ensure respect for international humanitarian law, and accountability when it is violated. As the Inter-Agency Standing Committee underscored last week in a joint statement on ending impunity, even wars have rules. Civilians, including humanitarian personnel, and the critical infrastructure on which civilians depend must be protected. Second, and connected to the first, ensure safe, rapid, unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access to civilians in need across all areas of Ukraine, including those living in areas currently under the control of the Russian Federation. We must be able to reach all civilians, including and especially in areas close to the front line – in need. Third, provide timely funding. Delays reduce what can be delivered and prolong hardship for civilians. For millions of people across Ukraine, the impact of the war is very real and constant. Protection, access and timely financial contributions are a lifeline for the most affected people as efforts toward a just and lasting peace continue. Thank you.