International Rescue Committee sends emergency team as humanitarian crisis deteriorates
- IRC announced today it is deploying an emergency team to Ukraine
- More than one million have been displaced internally and 639,000 have fled to neighboring countries; more than 5 million affected by the crisis in total
- Older people, ethnic minorities, women and girls particularly vulnerable
NEW YORK, Feb. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The International Rescue Committee today announced it is sending an emergency field team to Ukraine as Minsk peace talks concluded. With reports of rising violence in the countdown to the cease-fire, scheduled to begin at midnight on Sunday morning, the IRC will deploy an emergency field team prepared to respond to the alarming rise in humanitarian needs.
Concerns are highest for people still residing in non-government controlled areas, where basic services like power, water, and access to savings and pensions have been disabled for weeks. The IRC understands that those remaining in the conflict zone are primarily taking shelter in basements with no source of heat in near freezing temperatures. Food and medicine are also in short supply.
Displaced populations just outside of the conflict zones are also in need of urgent assistance. Current needs include cash to pay for rent, food, medicine and other basic supplies, as well as protection assistance for vulnerable populations including the Roma ethnic minority, women and girls, and older people.
IRC president and CEO David Miliband: "The IRC welcomes the diplomatic 'glimmer of hope' signaled by today's Minsk announcement. But we know that one million have been displaced since the last peace agreement, and that the days leading up to a cease-fire are often the most violent — so this is a time for action from both sides, not complacency. That is why the IRC is sending an emergency team to Ukraine, supported by our existing presence and knowledge in the region, to find and address rapidly mounting humanitarian needs."
To speak to IRC experts please email [email protected] or call 212-551-2744
Facts:
- As of February 2, 639,476 Ukrainians have fled to neighboring countries, more than 80% of whom have fled to Russia.
- Internal displacement inside Ukraine has increased to 978,482 as of February 2
- At least 32 hospitals in the affected areas have been reported to be non-functioning
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The IRC helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future.
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SOURCE International Rescue Committee
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