Highlights
• The ETC finalized the Very High Frequency (VHF) license request with the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office (UNRCO) on 11 August. The license request―which would allow for the establishment of a radio security communications network for humanitarians in Ukraine―will be submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• As of 15 August, the ETC is providing secure internet connectivity and ICT helpdesk services to 355 staff from 12 humanitarian organizations including UN agencies and INGOs in two interagency workspaces in Dnipro and Lviv.
• A member of the Global ETC team arrived in Ukraine on 6 August for a mission to support the expansion of the ETC Chatbot. Since the launch of the ETC Chatbot – vBezpetsi – a total of 9,896 users in Ukraine have accessed information relating to humanitarian assistance
Overview
Six months into the hostilities in Ukraine, concerns about the impact of the conflict on global food supplies are growing, with key ports for the export of grain blocked.
The estimated toll of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine surpassed 13,212 civilian casualties, including 5,514 deaths as of 14 August, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Between 1 – 14 August, about 144 causalities were reported. The OHCHR has stated that actual numbers may be significantly higher as many reports of casualties are still awaiting corroboration. The most intense hostilities continue to take place in Donetska, Luhanska, and Kharkivska oblasts.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reports that 6.64 million people are internally displaced in Ukraine due to the conflict as of 4 August, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) puts the total number of refugees having crossed international borders at 10.89 million as of 15 August.