As Ukraine war reaches 100^th day, UN continues to try to unblock food and fertilizer exports

One hundred days since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, UN humanitarians on Friday issued a fresh alert about the enormous needs there, as the Organization has continued to push to secure food and fertilizer exports from Ukraine and Russia to the wider world, amid rising and alarming levels of food insecurity.

Amid spiralling global food insecurity that has been exacerbated by the conflict, Amin Awad, UN Crisis Coordinator for Ukraine, confirmed that the Organization was making every effort to secure the release of export of grain stuck in Ukraine’s Black Sea ports. Equally important for the world’s farmers is a secure supply of fertilizer from Russia, a major world producer.

Leading the discussions are top UN officials Martin Griffiths – the Organization’s Emergency Relief Coordinator – and Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of the UN Trade and Development agency, UNCTAD.

“The negotiations are going on,” said Mr. Awad, speaking to journalists in Geneva from Kyiv. “There (are) a lot of details and shuttling between Moscow and other countries that have concerns and the negotiations continue. But I don’t think there’s no clear-cut emerging solution right now because it’s a board of puzzles that they have to move it together.”

Highlighting the difficulties linked to international trade with Russia even though there are no sanctions on food and fertilizer humanitarian exports from the country, Mr. Awad explained that Ms. Grynspan was working “with other financial institutions and the West in general to see how Russia can really as far as transactions are concerned, resume”.

Around 1.5 billion people “are in need of that food and fertilizers” around the world, the UN official explained, adding that he hoped that the negotiations “really go in a smooth manner and be concluded as soon as possible so that the blockade of ports and the resumption of export of fertilizer and food takes place before we have another crisis in hand.”

Today, at least 15.7 million people in Ukraine are now in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection, Mr. Awad said. Numbers are rising by the day as the war continues, and with winter around the corner, the lives of hundreds of thousands are in peril.

“Today we mark 100 days from the Russian Federation invasion of Ukraine,” said Dr Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative and Head of the WHO Country Office in Ukraine.

Speaking from Lviv in the west of the country, he added that it was “100 days too much and it has put the health system under huge stress. As Amid Awad our Crisis Coordinator (for Ukraine) highlighted, we have verified as WHO 269 attacks on health, which means also killing at least 76 people and injuring 59.”

Although humanitarians have explored different ways of transporting grain from Ukraine to the wider world, the only viable solution is by sea, given the huge amount of cereals and other essential foodstuffs produced.

“The five million tonnes a month, that’s 100 ships a month,” said Mr. Awad. “If you look at …railway tracks, they’re different; if you look at trucks, there are a few issues, (so) it is really has to be a maritime movement – (that’s) very clear - to export 50 to 60 million tonnes of food out to the world.”

Inside Ukraine, people’s everyday needs continue to grow, as the Russian advance in the eastern oblasts continues. Nearly 14 million people have been forced to flee, about one third of the entire population of Ukraine, and workers have lost their jobs and are queuing for food, UN humanitarians said.

“Clearly our biggest challenges are getting aid into the hardest-to-reach areas of this country, the wartorn areas, the occupied areas, the areas around the front line,” said Matthew Hollingworth, Emergency Coordinator for WFP in Ukraine.

Speaking from Lviv, he explained that “36 per cent of everything we’ve done in last three months has been to support those areas of the country. But it’s not enough, it’s nowhere near enough. And clearly, we need those continuous appeals to be heard for unimpeded humanitarian access into those areas of the country.”

He added: “We have returned to a breadbasket of the world where now sadly people are having to become significant recipients of humanitarian assistance. Where hungry people are standing in breadlines when this is the breadbasket of the world.”

Health needs are also critical for the country’s women, 265,000 of whom were pregnant before the Russian invasion.

“We have received reports and heard testimonies from doctors about deliveries, including C-sections, taking place in the basements of maternity hospitals, in shelters, and even in metro stations,” said Jaime Nadal, the UN Population Fund’s (UNFPA) representative in Ukraine. Speaking from a railway station in Lviv, he added that other surgeries had taken place “in hard-to-reach areas with gynaecologists giving remote, online instructions during childbirth to save the lives of both the mother and newborn”.

Displacement and multiple displacement continues to impact on Ukrainians, particularly the most vulnerable, warned the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR.

“In Dnipro I saw buses with people who had evacuated from locations at Bakhmut arriving very visibly shaken,” said Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR Representative in Ukraine.

Speaking from Vinnitsya in central Ukraine, she explained that most of the arrivals she saw were elderly people “who had difficulties walking alone and came really with next to nothing in their hands. And for some, this was the second or even the third time that they have fled since 2014.”

UN migration agency IOM has continued to track the movement of people displaced by the war – including returnees - since it began on 24 February.

“Most of these returns have taken place to the north region of Ukraine including almost one million persons to Kyiv itself,” said Stephen Rogers, IOM Ukraine deputy chief of mission. “However, when those persons returned to northern and central regions…33 per cent in the central region (and) 21 per cent in the north of those people who returned found destruction of their property and will need to rebuild.”

In common with conflicts everywhere, vast swathes of Ukraine are now contaminated with unexploded ordnance or mines, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) warned.

“Demining issues are of utmost priority for UNDP, we’re working with different government authorities to address this issue,” said Manal Fouani, acting UNDP Ukraine Resident Representative. “The estimation by the Government is that more than 300,000 square kilometres – that’s almost half the territory of Ukraine - are contaminated.”

ends

STORY: 100 Days Of War in Ukraine

TRT: 5 min 20s

SOURCE: UNTV CH

RESTRICTIONS: NONE

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

ASPECT RATIO: 16:9

DATELINE: 3 June 2022 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

SHOTLIST

1. Exterior medium shot, Palais des Nations flag alley, a sunny day.
2. Wide shot, journalists, podium and moderator in Press briefing room, Palais des Nations.
3. SOUNDBITE (English) — Dr Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative and Head of the WHO Country Office in Ukraine (From Lviv): “Today we mark 100 days from the Russian Federation invasion of Ukraine; it 100 days too much and it has put the health system under huge stress. As Amid Awad our Crisis Coordinator highlighted, we have verified as WHO 269 attacks on health, which means also killing at least 76 people and injuring 59.”
4. Close-up, moderator’s face in foreground and on screen to rear, alongside Amin Awad (United Nations Crisis Coordinator for Ukraine).
5. SOUNDBITE (English) — Amin Awad, United Nations Crisis Coordinator for Ukraine (From Kyiv): “The negotiations are going on and both Grynspan and at least I know of Martin Griffiths now is there. I don’t think I’m in a position to disclose much, I’m not in Moscow, I’m here but I know that there is a …list, there is a lot of details and shuttling between Moscow and other countries that have concerns and the negotiations continue. But I don’t think there’s no clear-cut emerging solution right now because it’s a board of puzzles that they have to move it together.”
6. Close-up, journalist’s face and glasses blurred in foreground, participants to rear working at laptops.
7. SOUNDBITE (English) — Amin Awad, United Nations Crisis Coordinator for Ukraine (From Kyiv): “There is no sanctions on food, as we understand, and now the sanctions on fertilizer also do not exist. The problem is the sanctions that was placed on Russia will prevent Russia from exporting what it needs to export as far as food and fertilizer, and that have to be undone and that’s why you have Madam Grynspan that work with other financial institutions and the West in general to see how Russia can really as far as transactions are concerned, resume.”
8. Medium shot, participant wearing headphones, looking a laptop in foreground, podium and other participants to rear.
9. SOUNDBITE (English) — Amin Awad, United Nations Crisis Coordinator for Ukraine (From Kyiv): “One point five billion people are in need of that food and fertilizers and I hope that the negotiations really go in a smooth manner and be concluded as soon as possible so that the blockade of ports and the resumption of export of fertilizer and food takes place before we have another crisis in hand.”
10. Medium shot, a journalist looks down out of shot, flanked by other colleagues.
11. SOUNDBITE (English) — Amin Awad, United Nations Crisis Coordinator for Ukraine (From Kyiv): “The five million tonnes a month, that’s 100 ships a month – if you look at tracks, railway tracks, they’re different. If you look at trucks, there are a few issues, it is really has to be a maritime movement – very clear - to export 50 to 60 million tonnes of food out to the world.”
12. Medium shot, TV screen showing external participant and moderator side by side.
13. SOUNDBITE (English) — Matthew Hollingworth, Emergency Coordinator for WFP in Ukraine (From Lviv): “We have returned to a breadbasket of the world where now sadly people are having to become significant recipients of humanitarian assistance. Where hungry people are standing in breadlines when this is the breadbasket of the world.”
14. Medium shot, journalists seated and working on laptops.
15. SOUNDBITE (English) — Matthew Hollingworth, Emergency Coordinator for WFP in Ukraine (From Lviv): “Clearly our biggest challenges are getting aid into the hardest-to-reach areas of this country, the wartorn areas, the occupied areas, the areas around the front line. Nonetheless, 36 per cent of everything we’ve done in last three months has been to support those areas of the country. But it’s not enough, it’s nowhere near enough. And clearly, we need those continuous appeals to be heard for unimpeded humanitarian access into those areas of the country.”
16. Medium shot, participant working on laptop in foreground, TV screen showing external speaker to rear.
17. SOUNDBITE (English) - Jaime Nadal, UNFPA’s representative in Ukraine (From railway station in Lviv): “We have received reports and heard testimonies from doctors about deliveries, including C-sections, taking place in the basements of maternity hospitals, in shelters, and even in metro stations, while others took place in hard-to-reach areas with gynaecologists giving remote, online instructions during childbirth to save the lives of both the mother and newborn.”
18. Medium shot, moderator in foreground, external speaker on TV screen to rear.
19. SOUNDBITE (English) - Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR Representative in Ukraine (From Vinnitsya): “In Dnipro I saw buses with people who had evacuated from locations at Bakhmut arriving very visibly shaken, and most of the arrivals I saw were elderly people who had difficulties walking alone and came really with next to nothing in their hands. And for some, this was the second or even the third time that they have fled since 2014.”
20. Medium shot, journalists working on laptops.
21. SOUNDBITE (English) - Stephen Rogers, IOM Ukraine deputy chief of mission (From Kyiv): “Most of these returns have taken place to the north region of Ukraine including almost one million persons to Kyiv itself."
22. Medium shot, participant wearing headphones, looking down out of shot.
23. SOUNDBITE (English) - Manal Fouani, acting UNDP Ukraine Resident Representative (From Lviv): “Demining issues are of utmost priority for UNDP, we’re working with different government authorities to address this issue. The estimation by the Government is that more than 300,000 square kilometres – that’s almost half the territory of Ukraine - are contaminated.”
24. Medium shot, participants typing on laptops.
25. Medium shot, participant working on laptop, looks up.
26. Wide shot, moderator to rear, microphone in foreground, blurred.