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STORY: UN / UKRAINE HUMANITARIAN PRESSER
TRT: 03:33
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 18 DECEMBER 2024, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, United Nations headquarters
18 DECEMBER 2024, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, press briefing room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Matthias Schmale, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the United Nations in Ukraine:
“A few hours ago, I came back from a visit to the east of Ukraine. I saw there again, about 10 kilometers from the frontline in Donetsk region, the devastating impact the war on Ukraine has had on civilians. In October and November, over 2180 civilian deaths and injuries were verified. Now, with intense fighting along the front line, lives continue to be totally disrupted and there is a steady flow of evacuees from the front line.
4. Wide shot, press briefing room
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Matthias Schmale, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the United Nations in Ukraine:
“Close to 40,000 people have been displaced from the front line areas between October and November. Yesterday in Dnipro, I met two people in their 70s and listened to their harrowing stories of losing everything. Understandably, they expressed a pessimistic outlook for a better future. Apart from old people like them, a huge concern is people with disability.”
6. Wide shot, press briefing room
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Matthias Schmale, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the United Nations in Ukraine:
“As you know, we've just entered the third winter since Russia's full-scale invasion in 22, and with temperatures below – already below freezing in some areas of the country, we are very worried about the impact of continued large-scale attacks on energy infrastructure by the armed forces of the Russian Federation”
8. Wide shot, press briefing room
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Matthias Schmale, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the United Nations in Ukraine:
“Governors and mayors across the country are particularly worried in my conversations with them about vulnerable people in high-rise buildings in cities being cut off from heating and clean water, as well as being affected by disrupted sewage systems.”
10. Wide shot, press briefing room
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Matthias Schmale, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the United Nations in Ukraine:
“The last wave of attacks were on 28 November and 13 December, attacks on the energy infrastructure, that is and they resulted in extensive blackouts that affected millions of people.”
12. Wide shot, press briefing room
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Matthias Schmale, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the United Nations in Ukraine:
“Allow me also to mention my concern as humanitarian coordinator for the plight of civilians in the temporarily occupied territories. We should not forget them. I saw humanitarian actors implementing what we're calling the humanitarian winter response plan to address emergency needs by delivering solid fuel, providing cash for winter to ensure people can stay warm, and ensuring water systems then continue to work.”
14. Wide shot, zoom out, journalists
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Matthias Schmale, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the United Nations in Ukraine:
“We think that 12.7 million people are expected to require assistance next year due to the continued war. We are preparing an appeal for 2.2 billion dollars for the humanitarian work while we also will keep early recovery such as education and emergencies going.
16. Med shot, journalist
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Matthias Schmale, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the United Nations in Ukraine:
“We must not normalize the war in Ukraine. The guns must fall silent and there must be peace with accountability and justice served in full respect of the UN Charter and the territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
18. Wide shot, press briefing room
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Matthias Schmale, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the United Nations in Ukraine:
"The pattern has been that when something happens, the armed forces on the Russian Federation retaliate. And so, I think, you know, this could be used, what happened yesterday, as a reason for further strikes."
20. Wide shot, end of press briefing
The humanitarian situation in Ukraine continues to deteriorate as the conflict nears its third winter, with freezing temperatures and relentless attacks on infrastructure compounding the crisis, according to the United Nations' top humanitarian official in Ukraine.
Matthias Schmale, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, recently returned from the war-torn Donetsk region, just ten kilometers from the front lines. “In October and November, over 2,180 civilian deaths and injuries were verified. Now, with intense fighting along the front line, lives continue to be totally disrupted, and there is a steady flow of evacuees,” he told reporters at UN headquarters today (Dec 18.)
Schmale highlighted the plight of those displaced, revealing that nearly 40,000 people fled front-line areas in October and November alone. “Yesterday in Dnipro, I met two people in their 70s who shared harrowing stories of losing everything. Understandably, they expressed a pessimistic outlook for a better future,” he said, adding that people with disabilities face even greater challenges.
The official voiced grave concerns over the impact of widespread attacks on energy infrastructure, which have led to extensive blackouts. “The last wave of attacks on November 28 and December 13 resulted in blackouts affecting millions of people,” Schmale said. With temperatures already below freezing in many parts of Ukraine, he warned of the risks to vulnerable populations, especially those in high-rise buildings cut off from heating, clean water, and sewage systems.
Schmale also emphasized the challenges facing civilians in territories temporarily occupied by Russian forces. “We should not forget them,” he said, outlining efforts under the UN’s humanitarian winter response plan to provide solid fuel, cash for heating, and repairs to water systems.
The UN estimates that 12.7 million people will require humanitarian assistance in 2025 due to the continued war. Schmale revealed that an appeal for 2.2 billion dollars is being prepared to fund humanitarian aid, while addressing early recovery needs such as education and emergency services.
“We must not normalize the war in Ukraine,” Schmale said firmly. “The guns must fall silent, and there must be peace with accountability and justice served in full respect of the UN Charter and the territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
Addressing the assassination of a top Russian general in Moscow on December 17, who Ukraine has accused of being responsible for deploying chemical weapons against its troops, Schmale said, that it could be used as "a reason for further strikes." He said, "The pattern has been that when something happens, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation retaliate."
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