The conflict in Ukraine is weighing on the entire humanitarian system and could have lasting consequences on the ability of organizations to respond to emergencies around the world, the Red Cross warned today.
This war, which enters its seventh month tomorrow, has pushed people “to a critical juncture,” Francesco Rocca, president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (ICRC/IFRC), explained in a statement.
“The devastating effects of the shock continue to grow as the conflict continues, with rising food and energy prices and worsening humanitarian crises,” he added.
The effects of the conflict are increasing aid needs around the world, Brigitte Bischoff ‘Ebesen, the IAEA’s regional director for Europe and Central Asia, said in an online press briefing.
“The crisis has spread throughout the humanitarian system and put it under enormous stress,” he stressed, and “this will have long-term consequences for the ability of humanitarian organizations and donors to respond to emergencies elsewhere.”
The Russian invasion that began on February 24 in Ukraine, one of the world’s largest grain exporters, has contributed to severe food shortages in the world’s poorest regions.
Despite efforts to resume deliveries of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, such exports are down 46 percent since the start of the year, according to the IAEA.
“This major decline has a serious impact on the large Horn of Africa region where more than 80 million people are experiencing extreme hunger — the worst food crisis in 70 years,” he said.
The Red Cross, which now has more than 100,000 local volunteers and staff in Ukraine and neighboring countries, continues to increase its assessment of humanitarian needs there.
The organization deplores the enormous damage in Ukraine where millions of people have had to flee their homes: “Even if this conflict ends tomorrow, it will take years to repair the damage caused to cities and homes as well as the impact on families”.
Already, inflation is on the rise and shortages of essential goods such as fuel and food, in Ukraine and neighboring countries, are forcing more and more people to struggle to obtain basic goods.
And the needs will not stop increasing with the cold weather expected in the coming weeks.
“It will be the harshest winter,” noted Maksim Dochenko, director general of the Ukrainian Red Cross, at a press briefing. “The needs are growing” and the consequences will be felt beyond Ukraine, he warned.
Source: AMPE
Source: Capital
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