UNITED NATIONS, January 24 (Sputnik) – The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has announced that no contributions have been made yet for the 2015 humanitarian plan for Ukraine, where fighting continues between Kiev forces and independence fighters.
"Official reporting to the Strategic Response Plan for Ukraine (Dec 2014) indicate zero contribution to the humanitarian plan for 2015. Agencies continue to implement programs against the 2014 pledges," the UN situation report, which covers the period from January 10, 2014, until January 23, 2015, said.
According to the report, released Friday, the United Nations "has kindly requested a full inventory of the assistance provided" to residents of conflict-torn south-eastern Ukraine by Russia.
Russia has so far sent 11 humanitarian aid convoys to the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, carrying over 13,000 tonnes of assistance to local residents.
On Friday, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stressed that the Ukrainian government's regulations impeding access to the southeastern regions are undermining humanitarian agencies' ability to help people who are suffering as a result of the ongoing conflict in the country.
UNHCR spokesperson Karin de Gruijl said in a statement Friday that UNHCR experienced difficulties delivering humanitarian aid to the southeastern region of Ukraine several times before new security clearance procedures were enforced and expressed concern that the situation would become more problematic in the future.
On January 16, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that some 1.4 million people in eastern Ukraine require humanitarian assistance amid the destruction of health care facilities and lack of medical assistance.
Ukraine's eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk have been suffering from a severe humanitarian crisis as a result of a military operation launched by Kiev against local independence supporters in mid-April, 2014.
