Mister Chair

Excellencies,

Distinguished delegates,

Ukraine commends the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the United Nations Representative in Ukraine for conducting this important and timely briefing.

I would like to thank Mr. Walker and our UNOCHA colleagues for such detailed presentation, which highlights major challenges of my country. I believe that your timely feedback on the field situation is an important element of the pro-active humanitarian agenda for the UN and other stakeholders.       

For these reason I see that we can draw some important conclusions.

1)   Ukraine highly commends the United Nations strong support and its various activity within the Minsk agreements and General Assembly resolution 68/626, affirming the commitment to the territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.

In these regard we strongly urge all actors to observe a commitment on engaging an international mechanism for delivery and distribution of humanitarian aid.

Exactly today, the 25 of June, Russian Federation brought the 30th so-called “humanitarian aid convoy” which illegally broke Ukraine’s border without consent of and inspection by the Ukrainian authorities and without coordination with ICRC.

2)   Despite exceptionally challenging circumstances, namely provoked and supported insurgent activities breaching the territorial integrity of Ukraine and leading to a major humanitarian crisis, Ukraine managed to establish strong and trustful relationship with our international partners in order to implement all clusters of the revised humanitarian response plan for Ukraine. I consider that it corresponds to every level of the administrative mechanism, including international and bilateral, as well as it matches down to the local authorities, which are affected by the humanitarian crisis.

We believe that continued dialog with those, who work in the field and helps us to address the humanitarian challenges is very important. Therefore Ukraine is making every effort to protect and promote the fundamental rights and freedoms of its people.

In this regard we believe that for now humanitarian assistance comes in the first place, however it is necessary to rebuild the infrastructure and life support systems of those territories that were destroyed by the attacks of militants.

Therefore Ukraine supports joint mission of the European Union, the United Nations and the World Bank on winding up the assessment of the ways to restore and build-up peace in Ukraine.

However Ukraine, in particular relevant Vice Prime Minister office, would need knowledge and expertise in order to assure this initiative to be the effectively implemented as a part of the Recovery Plan for the country for 2015-2017.

3)   It would be ambitious, but I try to speak on behalf of many affected countries, which are facing the IDPs phenomenon in growing numbers (currently reaching over 1 million people in Ukraine). Internally displaced persons are a new challenge for Ukraine.

At the same time, international organizations UNHCR, UNOCHA and IOM have allocated to Ukraine its significant experience in analysis and response. Therefore we commend those, who are addressing the displacement solutions worldwide and conducting continuous assessment of most immediate population needs at international and national level.

It is obvious that United Nations post-2015 development agenda should incorporate IDPs complex social, economic and demographic phenomenon, which hampers sustainable development of any single country or entire geographical region.

The Government is actively working with UNDP Ukraine on the realization of the project “Rapid Response to Social and Economic Issues of IDPs.”

  Dear colleagues,

We realize that Ukraine is to face serious long-term humanitarian and post-recovery challenges, but we are prepared and getting stronger.

Unfortunately, I would like to emphasize once again the words of Mr. Walker that according to the Financial Tracking Service, the 2015 Humanitarian Response Plan for Ukraine is severely underfunded or it constitutes only 31 percent of the $316 million required.

We are grateful for all support and assistance provided within recognized humanitarian framework and still we jointly appeal to all our partners for their input in HRP crucial cluster as livelihoods and early recovery, education, emergency shelter, health, protection, water sanitation and hygiene.

Stabilizing the situation and addressing the on-going humanitarian consequences will enable Ukraine to embark on its rapid transition by sustaining security in the region.

I thank you.