UNO: As the nation prepares for a second winter with more residential buildings damaged and destroyed and thousands of people homeless as a result of the collapse of the Kakhovka dam, the $3.9 billion humanitarian appeal for war-torn Ukraine is less than 30% funded, the country's UN humanitarian coordinator said Monday.

In a virtual news conference from Kyiv, Denise Brown stated that the UN is aiming to provide aid to between 11 and 12 million Ukrainians, but that funding is becoming a serious problem.

In a report released last week, the UN humanitarian office stated that a lack of funding is "hindering operations, compounding the difficulties brought on by insecurity and other barriers."

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According to the report, the UN and its humanitarian partners reached 7.3 million people by the end of June, but in some regions of the south, east, and north of Ukraine, more than 25% of the people who were targeted for assistance were unable to receive it "due to a combination of funding shortages and other operational challenges."

Brown emphasised that because winter in Ukraine begins early, finding shelter for those who have lost their homes this year should be a top priority. She added that the growing demand for psycho-social support for those who have endured 17 months of war is another top priority.

The Kakhovka hydroelectric dam collapsed and its reservoir emptied on the Dnieper River in southern Ukraine on June 7, adding to the misery in a region already devastated by artillery and missile attacks, leaving thousands of people homeless, and destroying vast tracts of agricultural land.

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Both sides have claimed responsibility for destroying the dam, but the various Russian claims — that it was struck by a missile or brought down by explosives — do not explain a blast that was so powerful that it was detected by seismic monitors in the area.

According to Brown, a government-led assessment of the needs following the dam collapse is currently underway with assistance from the UN, European Union, and World Bank and should be completed "in a couple of weeks." She claimed that while immediate needs had been met, "longer-term needs are very large."

According to Brown, all of this indicates that "the population's needs are increasing."

The needs are great, but we know that donors are doing their best," she said. "I have faith that funding will materialise."
Ukraine is not the only country with a significant funding gap.

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On Friday, a top UN official claimed that due to "a crippling funding crisis" that has seen its donations drop by about half as acute hunger reaches record levels, the UN has been forced to cut food, cash payments, and assistance to millions of people in many countries.

At least 38 of the 86 countries where the UN World Food Programme operates have already seen cuts or plan to do so soon, including Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, and West Africa, said Carl Skau, deputy executive director of the WFP.