U.N. humanitarian office warns of rising civilian toll in Ukraine, urges protection and more funding

A representative of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs told the Security Council that attacks across Ukraine have driven a fresh surge in civilian casualties, damaged humanitarian assets and are increasingly preventing life-saving aid from reaching people in need.

"Between last Friday and the early hours of today, at least 30 civilians were reported killed and over 200 injured across Ukraine," the OCHA representative said, adding that civilians "including families and children" had been killed at home and struck while traveling to work. The statement named strikes on major population centers, including Dnipro and Kyiv, and said the scale and intensity of attacks on urban areas is increasing.

The representative described attacks on humanitarian workers and clearly marked aid assets: "Over the weekend in a government-controlled region, seven humanitarian vehicles were damaged during several attacks, injuring aid workers and volunteers and damaging clearly marked humanitarian assets." The speaker said that, so far this year, three humanitarian workers had been killed and 32 injured.

The statement reiterated international humanitarian law obligations: "Civilians and civilian objects, including humanitarian personnel and assets, must be protected," the representative said, and urged accountability for violations and measures to prevent them.

The OCHA representative warned that impeded humanitarian operations cause immediate and deadly consequences: when supplies do not get through, life-saving services are suspended, evacuations halt and communities become progressively isolated from medical care, protection services and relief.

On operational options, the speaker highlighted the growing use of armed drones and other risks that force humanitarian organizations to weigh remaining in high-need areas against protecting staff and assets. "How to remain present where needs are greatest while keeping humanitarian personnel and assets safe," the representative said, framing it as a daily dilemma.

The representative offered OCHAs assistance to facilitate access where possible: "OCHA is ready to work discreetly with both parties on practical humanitarian arrangements that help civilians who are trapped along the front lines receive aid and voluntarily move to safer areas," the speaker said, stressing that time is of the essence.

On funding, the speaker said Ukraine remains among the world's largest humanitarian crises: roughly 10.8 million people require humanitarian assistance, and the representative said the response has received less than half the funding needed to reach them. The statement tied funding shortfalls directly to the capacity of humanitarian organizations to remain present and respond rapidly.

The speaker concluded with three explicit requests to the council: use influence to reverse the erosion of protection for civilians; help preserve and expand humanitarian operations by safeguarding or opening access where impeded; and ensure humanitarian organizations have the funding needed to remain present where needs are greatest. The representative closed by urging all with influence to act to reduce suffering and protect civilians.

No formal vote or council decision was recorded in the statement that followed.