GENEVA, Jan 13 (KUNA) -- The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Tuesday launched the 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan for Ukraine, seeking USD 2.3 billion to reach 4.1 million people with life-saving assistance.
At a press briefing in Geneva, OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke said that an estimated 10.8 million people across Ukraine will require humanitarian assistance this year, including internally-displaced people and others affected by the continued war that soon enters its fifth year.
He added that widespread disruptions to power and heating during extreme winter conditions are creating a "crisis within a crisis" and pushing people to the breaking point.
Laerke explained that this plan aims to reach front-line areas and northern border regions, which face the highest humanitarian needs due to intensified shelling, destruction of civilian infrastructure and persistent disruptions to essential services.
He stressed that humanitarian assistance from national and local organizations, alongside international partners, plays a central role in the response and that they are often the first to act in the most difficult and dangerous conditions, calling on the international community to fund the humanitarian appeal. (end) imk.hb