New York: The Russo-Ukraine War forced about 1.4 million people to flee. This has increased the number of refugees and displaced people worldwide by more than 100 million. The UN Refugee Chief gave this information on Wednesday. Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, told the council that Ukraine was facing one of the world’s harshest winters in extremely difficult conditions. It also includes the continued destruction of infrastructure for civilians.
Humanitarian organizations have recently boosted their response. Grandi said much more needs to be done, starting with the end of this senseless war. Grandi said his agency was preparing for the movement of large numbers of people both inside and outside Ukraine. In his extensive briefing, Grundy told members of the most powerful UN body that Ukraine continues to make headlines, but that his agency has responded to 37 emergencies triggered by conflicts around the world in the past 12 months. Yet other crises have failed to elicit the same international attention, outrage, resources, and action, he said.
Grandi pointed to the more than 850,000 Ethiopians displaced in the first half of the year and said the recent escalation in conflict in that country’s northern Tigre region has had an even more devastating impact on civilians. Grundy said the UN refugee agency is also in Myanmar, where there is armed resistance against the country’s military rulers and an estimated 500,000 people have been displaced.
