Türkiye and Syria
In an effort to scale-up the response, the principals of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, which brings together the UN and our humanitarian partners, declared a humanitarian systemwide scale-up for six months. This will help ensure we are collectively and operationally deploying all possible means and resources to urgently respond in the earthquake-affected areas.
The cross-border response continued today, with 22 trucks from the World Food Programme (WFP), carrying canned food and mattresses, crossing into north-west Syria through Bab al-Hawa, and one truck from the International Organization for Migration delivered shelter and non-food items through the Bab al-Salam crossing.
In total, since 9 February, 117 trucks crossed into north-west Syria: 106 through the Bab al-Hawa crossing and 11 through the Bab al-Salm crossing.
In Syria, humanitarian efforts are being rapidly scaled up and more assessments are planned to identify priority needs and areas. WFP has been distributing ready-to-eat meals and other food items to displaced families across Aleppo, Hama, Latakia and Idleb. UNICEF helped provide micronutrient supplements for 113,000 children under the age of five and 1,000 pregnant and lactating women for three months.
Ukraine
Two humanitarian facilities – both warehouses storing aid – were hit by airstrikes yesterday in Konstantinivka, in the Donestk region, and in Kherson.The intense fighting in the east is also impacting civilians who have already endured nearly a year of relentless hostilities.
Over the past few days, scores of civilian buildings – including homes, hospitals and schools – have been hit on both sides of the front line. Attacks are also, once again, impacting energy infrastructure, and leaving millions without electricity, heating or water every day in Ukraine.
International Humanitarian Law is clear: civilians and civilian infrastructure, particularly hospitals, but also schools and energy infrastructure, should not be targeted. This also applies to aid facilities.Our colleagues organized another inter-agency convoy yesterday to the Donetsk region, this time to the front-line town of Kostiantynopil.
We and our partners delivered winter supplies, food, heaters, tarpaulin, blankets and emergency shelter kits to help 1,200 people who remain in the community. We also brought enough medicines and medical supplies to treat the whole community for three months.
These supplies were provided by the International Organization for Migration, the World Food Programme, UNICEF, the UN Refugee Agency and the World Health Organization.