The war in Ukraine has left at least 15.7 million people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance by UN News, UNICEF, OCHA, IAEA, agencies 9:30am 19th Apr, 2022   June 2022    One hundred days of war in Ukraine. (UN News)    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres marking the tragic milestone:    "Today marks 100 days since the start of the 24 February Russian invasion of Ukraine. As we mark this tragic day, I renew my call for an immediate halt to violence, for unfettered humanitarian access to all those in need, for safe evacuation of civilians trapped in areas of fighting and for urgent protection of civilians and respect for human rights in accordance with international norms.    The conflict has already taken many thousands of lives, caused untold destruction, displaced millions of people, resulted in unacceptable violations of human rights and is inflaming a three-dimensional global crisis – food, energy and finance – that is pummeling the most vulnerable people, countries and economies.    The UN is committed to the humanitarian effort. But as I have stressed from the beginning, resolving this conflict will require negotiations and dialogue. The sooner the parties engage in good-faith diplomatic efforts to end this war, the better for the sake of Ukraine, Russia and the world".    United Nations Crisis Coordinator for Ukraine, Amin Awad:    "This war has taken an unacceptable toll on people and engulfed virtually all aspects of civilian life. This war has and will have no winner. Rather, we have witnessed for 100 days what is lost: lives, homes, jobs and prospects. We have witnessed destruction and devastation across cities, towns and villages. Schools, hospitals and shelters have not been spared.    Families and communities have been disrupted and uprooted. In just over three months, nearly 14 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes, the majority women and children – a scale and speed of displacement not witnessed in history.    More than 3 million children saw their education suspended – an entire generation of children whose future hangs in the balance. All over the country, hundreds of thousands of people do not have access to water and electricity, and millions do not know where their next meal is coming from. 15.7 million people are in need of humanitarian support now, with numbers growing.    One hundred days on, the war ravages unabated especially in the east of the country. And with winter coming, millions of civilian lives could be in peril.    UN agencies and humanitarian partners in Ukraine continue to work to support those whose lives have been shattered by war. In the past 100 days, we have provided humanitarian aid to some 8 million people across the country, including in besieged cities in the east of Ukraine. Our efforts to respond to the war’s devastating impact will continue. But above all we need peace. The war must end now".    ICRC director-general Robert Mardini:    "It would be hard to exaggerate the toll that the international armed conflict in Ukraine has had on civilians over the last 100 days. The scale of destruction in cities defies comprehension. Homes, schools and hospitals have been destroyed and civilians have suffered the horrors of conflict, with lives lost and families torn apart".    100 days of war in Ukraine have left 5.2 million children in need. (Unicef)    100 days of war in Ukraine have wrought devastating consequences for children at a scale and speed not seen since World War II. Three million children inside Ukraine and over 2.2 million children in refugee-hosting countries are now in need of humanitarian assistance. Almost two out of every three children have been displaced by fighting.    On average more than two children are killed and more than four injured each day in Ukraine – mostly in attacks using explosive weapons in populated areas. Civilian infrastructure on which children depend continues to be damaged or destroyed; this includes at least 256 health facilities and one in six UNICEF-supported ‘Safe Schools’ in the country’s east. Hundreds of other schools across the country have also been damaged or destroyed. Conditions for children in eastern and southern Ukraine where fighting has intensified are increasingly desperate.    UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said, "the war has shattered the lives of millions of children. Without an urgent ceasefire and negotiated peace, children will continue to suffer – and fallout from the war will impact vulnerable children around the world.”    "The war and mass displacement are devastating livelihoods and economic opportunities, leaving many families without sufficient income to meet basic needs and unable to provide adequate support for their children.    UNICEF continues to call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and to protect all children from harm. This includes ending the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and attacks on civilian infrastructure. UNICEF is appealing for full humanitarian access to safely and quickly reach children in need wherever they may be".    269 verified attacks on health care facilities. (WHO)    “In 100 days of war, there have been over 260 verified attacks on health care in Ukraine. These attacks are not justifiable, they are never ok, and they must be investigated. No health professional should have to deliver health care on a knife edge, but this is just what nurses, doctors, ambulance drivers, the medical teams in Ukraine are doing,” said Dr Hans Henri Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.    “I have been privileged to meet many health workers during my visits to Ukraine. They are keeping vital services and hope alive in the face of unbelievable sorrow and suffering,” he added. Some health facilities have been completely destroyed, while others have been overwhelmed by people seeking care for trauma and injuries resulting directly from the war".    Matilda Bogner, Head of UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU):    "The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) has been able to verify the deaths of 4,183 civilians and 5,014 civilians injured, but we know that the actual numbers are considerably higher.    Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects. To date, we have documented the deaths of 3,524 civilians from the use of artillery and tank shelling, multiple launch rocket systems, missile and air strikes. The extent of civilian death and damage and destruction of civilian infrustructure, strongly suggests that there have been violations of international humanitarian law, some of which may amount to war crimes.    The Mission has also documented the devastating impact of the war on other human rights. Among them we recorded unlawful killings, including summary executions, torture, ill-treatment, and conflict-related sexual violence. Parties to the conflict should put an end to civilian suffering, and fully respect obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law".    Intense and ongoing hostilities continue to cause suffering, deaths and massive destruction of civilian infrastructure across Ukraine, particularly affecting people in the east and south of the country. Hundreds of thousands of people continue to be uprooted by the war, while in the worst-impacted areas people have lived for over two months without adequate access to food, water and electricity or gas, with limited health services, while enduring the constant threat of bombardment.    http://news.un.org/en/story/2022/06/1119672 http://ukraine.un.org/en/press-centre/press-releases http://reports.unocha.org/en/country/ukraine/ http://reliefweb.int/country/ukr http://www.unicef.org/emergencies/war-ukraine-pose-immediate-threat-children http://www.savethechildren.net/news/ukraine-twice-many-schools-attacked-past-100-days-during-first-7-years-conflict http://www.icrc.org/en/humanitarian-crisis-ukraine http://www.wfp.org/stories/war-ukraine-wfp-renews-call-open-black-sea-ports-amid-fears-global-hunger http://www.unhcr.org/en-au/news/briefing/2022/6/6299c8f14/100-days-anguish-unhcr-focused-protection-shelter-ukrainians.html http://storyteller.iom.int/stories/scorched-dreams-100-days-war-ukraine http://www.un.org/sexualviolenceinconflict/statement/briefing-of-srsg-patten-about-ukraine-to-the-security-council-6-june-2022/    25 Apr. 2022 (OCHA)    The war in Ukraine, which began on 24 February, has caused death and suffering on a dramatic scale and left at least 15.7 million people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection.    By 21 April, at least 2,345 civilians had been killed, including 177 children, according to the latest estimates by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. However, the actual death toll is likely to be much higher. In Mariupol alone, local authorities estimate that tens of thousands of people have been killed, while the recent revelations of mass graves in Bucha, Irpin and other areas surrounding Kyiv highlight the likelihood of many more deaths that have not been counted.    The war has seen the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area in urban settings, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems, and missile and air strikes. The presence of landmines and unexploded explosive ordnance is also a major concern. Even before this war, eastern Ukraine was one of the most mine-contaminated regions in the world.    The conflict has caused the world’s fastest growing displacement crisis since World War II, with nearly 13 million people uprooted in less than two months. Over a quarter of Ukraine’s population have fled their homes, including more than 7.7 million people now estimated to be internally displaced and over 5.2 million people who have crossed borders to seek security and safety in other countries, most of them women and children.    Nearly two-thirds of the children in Ukraine have been displaced.    Massive devastation in urban centres, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure, have made life unbearable for millions of people and severely disrupted critical services, especially healthcare.    In besieged areas, people have lived for weeks without access to food, water and heat, while under the constant threat of bombardment. More than half of all attacks against healthcare facilities in the world this year—119 out of 182 by 11 April—have occurred in Ukraine.    These attacks have decimated access to healthcare at a time when people need it most—women have been forced to deliver babies in basements, injured people have had no access to care and ill children have lost access to life-saving treatments.    Roughly 300 health facilities are in conflict areas and 1,000 health facilities are in areas that have changed control. Nearly 50 per cent of Ukraine’s pharmacies are presumed to be closed and many health workers are either displaced or unable to work.    Other civilian infrastructure has also been severely impacted: more than 869 educational facilities have been damaged and 88 destroyed, according to the Ministry of Education, although these figures are not verified.    Millions of people—including women and small children—have been left without access to safe water or sanitation, drastically heightening the risk of waterborne disease as well as dehydration. Due to attacks on water system infrastructure and power outages an estimated 1.4 million people in eastern Ukraine do not have access to water, and another 4.6 million people across the country have only limited access.    There are mounting allegations of sexual violence perpetrated against women and girls during the war. The threat of gender-based violence—including conflict-related sexual violence, sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) and human trafficking—has risen exponentially since the war began. Women from groups in vulnerable situations are being left behind and disproportionately affected by disruptions caused by war.    The armed conflict may prevent farmers from accessing their fields, harvesting, and marketing current crops, planting new crops, or sustaining livestock production. Between 20 and 30 per cent of areas under winter cereal, maize and sunflower production will remain unharvested in July/August, or not be planted this spring, according to the Government and FAO. About half of winter wheat and a third of rye due to be harvested in July–August 2022 are currently in war-affected areas. There are also concerns over damage to standing crops and risk of mines and unexploded ordnance impacting the ability to harvest in the period ahead.    The war has also devastated Ukraine’s economy. The Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, has said that economic losses due to the ongoing military offensive may exceed $1 trillion, while some 53 per cent of employed Ukrainians have lost their jobs since the war began, according to a nation-wide survey conducted by the Rating Group in March.    http://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/ukraine-flash-appeal-march-august-2022 http://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/ukraine-millions-displaced-traumatised-and-urgently-need-help-say-experts http://reliefweb.int/country/ukr http://news.un.org/en/tags/ukraine    8 Apr. 2022    International NGO statement on the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure:    We, the undersigned humanitarian organizations, are shocked and disturbed by the level of humanitarian needs and mass civilian deaths, casualties, and sexual violence against women and girls witnessed in different regions across Ukraine.    Targeting densely populated areas and collectively depriving civilians of their right to access basic needs, essential services, humanitarian assistance, protection, and safe evacuation - as well as targeting civilian objects such as hospitals, learning institutions and residential buildings are blatant violations of International Humanitarian Law.    As humanitarian organizations following the principles of neutrality, independence, and impartiality, we are seriously concerned about the ongoing hostilities and the international community's unsuccessful efforts at negotiating and securing a ceasefire. The cessation of hostilities is urgently needed to stop the killing of civilians and the suffering of people in Ukraine. We are closely monitoring the ongoing UN-led high-level negotiations and demand that they have a positive outcome on the humanitarian situation on the ground.    Nothing can justify the ongoing suffering of civilians, particularly children and women, older women and men, and people with disability in Bucha, Irpin, Hostomel, Borodianka, Mariupol, and in other Ukrainian regions. All parties to the conflict must uphold their international obligations, including not targeting civilians and vital public infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, and water and electricity supplies. All parties to the conflict must not tolerate in their ranks sexual violence. Such serious violations of the laws and customs applicable in armed conflicts could amount to war crimes.    "I will never forget the day I tried to get out of Irpin. I was outside when my neighbor's car was shelled. The father died, and the mother and her child were wounded. It is difficult to accept this and impossible to understand. I desperately want this war to come to an end," - Olha, a senior from Irpin, currently displaced in western Ukraine.    We call for a serious political agreement for the protection of civilians, including safe and voluntary passage to people who want to leave high-risk areas across Ukraine. At the same time their right to determine their destination of choice for evacuation must be respected in line with the Fourth Geneva Convention.    Parties to the conflict must urgently facilitate unimpeded humanitarian access allowing relief workers and volunteers to urgently deliver life-saving assistance and medical support to people in need. Under the IV Geneva Convention and the UN Security Council Resolution 2286, health personnel and health facilities, such as hospitals and other facilities that have been set up for medical purposes, must be respected and protected in all circumstances. Medical units may not be attacked and access to them may not be limited.    The international community, including the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly, must take sterner measures to bring hostilities to an end, and reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights and conditions under which respect for the obligations from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained.    We add to and reiterate our demands from March 4, 2022:    An immediate cessation of hostilities and targeting of civilians, civilian objects and infrastructure;    All parties to the conflict must abide by International Humanitarian Law (IHL). Attacks targeting civilians and public infrastructure, including facilities that are indispensable for the survival of the civilians are prohibited under IHL. At no time should hostilities jeopardize the rights, well-being and safety of civilians or civilian objects such as schools, health centers, markets or farmlands, among others;    Safe and unhindered humanitarian access, including across conflict lines for humanitarian assistance to reach all those in need, particularly those in vulnerable situations, with respect to the independence and neutrality of humanitarian agencies and the protection of humanitarian personnel and volunteers;    All children have the right to enjoy provisions under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which urges all persons to consider the best interests of the child. During armed conflict, IHL provides general protection for children as persons not taking part in hostilities and special protection as particularly vulnerable persons. Protocol I, Article 77: "Children shall be the object of special respect and shall be protected against all forms of indecent assault. The parties to the conflict shall provide them with such care and assistance as they may require, whether on account of their age or for any other reason";    All parties must abide by their obligations under Security Council resolutions on Children and Armed Conflict, and prevent the killing and maiming, recruitment, use, sexual exploitation and sexual violence against girls, boys and adolescents who are at risk of suffering the six grave violations against children in conflict;    All parties to the conflict must recall the fundamental Principle of Distinction and the Safe Schools Declaration to ensure the protection of all children and facilities including schools, kindergartens and hospitals where children are present. The full range of duty bearers and armed actors must ensure that children and their caregivers remain safe, regardless of the prevailing circumstances;    The United Nations Security Council to uphold their mandate, ensure the protection of civilians and maintain international peace and security away from political disputes;    A serious political agreement for the protection of every civilian trapped in high-risk areas anywhere in Ukraine, including safe and voluntary passage to people who want to leave, humanitarian access, and protection. At the same time their right to determine their destination of choice for evacuation must be respected in line with the Fourth Geneva Convention;    Ensure full cooperation with the United Nations and the ICRC to facilitate the implementation and monitoring of safe and systematic passages enabling the swift passage of humanitarian cargos and convoys including the safe passage of all civilians and relief workers;    All countries to equally welcome all foreign nationals and stateless persons fleeing Ukraine regardless of their nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity, country of origin, religious background, race or ethnicity;    All funds to alleviate the suffering, and for people affected by the conflict in Ukraine must be additional and flexible, or new funding streams adapted to local actors. They must not be diverted from other under-funded humanitarian crises taking place globally.    http://www.nrc.no/news/2022/april/ukraine-ingo-statement-on-the-targeting-of-civilians-and-civilian-infrastructure/ http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/story/ukraine-ngo-statement-targeting-civilians-and-civilian-infrastructure http://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/joint-ingo-statement-humanitarian-protection-and-access-ukraine-enruuk http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/every-day-war-continues-children-will-continue-suffer http://www.unicef.org/emergencies/war-ukraine-pose-immediate-threat-children    4 Apr. 2022    OCHA: Ukraine: Humanitarian Impact Situation Report. (Extract)    On 4-5 April, the sounds of air raid sirens and explosions rang out over several oblasts as fighting continues. The situation in the most affected areas of northern, southern and eastern Ukraine is becoming increasingly dire as active hostilities intensify in existing hotspots and expand into new areas previously spared the worst of the ongoing military offensive. Needs and protection risks continue to grow.    Meanwhile, access to affected communities to address growing needs and protection risks remains largely limited. Exacerbating the problem is the fact that people trapped in areas facing active hostilities cannot safely evacuate, leaving many people’s needs unmet while driving others to attempt dangerous self-evacuations to escape in search of safety and humanitarian assistance.    As of 5 April, the civilian toll stands at 3,776 – including 1,563 killed – according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). In Donetska and Luhanska oblasts, civilian casualties are highest in Government-controlled areas (GCA), with OHCHR reporting 1,241 casualties – including 420 killed and 821 injured – compared to 326 civilian casualties in non-Government-controlled areas (NGCA) of these oblasts (67 killed and 259 injured).    In the rest of Ukraine, OHCHR reports 2,209 civilian casualties. These figures are likely much higher as increased access into some of the hardest-hit areas reveals the magnitude of civilian casualties and active fighting continues.    As of 5 April, following the withdrawal of the Russian Federation forces from hard-hit areas outside Kyiv, local authorities of the nearby Hostomel estimate that more than 400 civilians have been killed, while authorities in Bucha and Borodianka (Kyivska oblast) estimate that at least 320 and more than 200 civilians, respectively, have been killed in these towns.    On 5 April, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova announced that around 5,000 war crimes are now under investigation in the country.    Population movements and needs. Between 24 March and 1 April, IOM carried out the second round of its rapid representative assessment on internal displacement, mobility flows and associated needs across Ukraine. As of 1 April, approximately 7.1 million people have been forcibly displaced within Ukraine – around 16 per cent of the country’s population – an increase of over 660,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) since 18 March.    This is a worrying trend as increased internal population movements place people on the move at risk and may potentially overwhelm already-limited response capacities in host communities.    According to the IOM survey, more than 50 per cent of displaced households have children, 57 per cent include older persons and 30 per cent have people with chronic illnesses. Moreover, around 30 per cent of IDPs report that they are considering further movement from their current location, possibly creating additional challenges for humanitarian actors attempting to effectively identify and address the needs of people continuously on the move.    In total, 11.4 million people have been displaced within the country and across international borders, including nearly 4.3 million people, mainly women and children, who have fled across international borders – a 30 per cent increase compared to around 3.3 million as of 18 March.    Based on the information provided by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) received from the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, more than 537,000 people have crossed into Ukraine since 24 February. This is a significant figure that suggests that migration back to Ukraine is likely increasing, potentially creating new challenges for the humanitarian response as people will need support to reintegrate into their communities or find suitable host communities if returning to their homes is no longer a viable option.    For those trapped in their communities, 16 per cent say it is not safe for them to leave amid active hostilities, while 6 per cent report staying in order not to leave family members behind and 3 per cent report they would not know where to go.    For those people still in their communities of origin, only 21 per cent believe it is completely safe while, on the other hand, 40 per cent say their communities are either somewhat safe (29 per cent) or completely unsafe (11 per cent). Both displaced and non-displaced people say their biggest needs are cash-based support, including access to money (i.e., receiving money, no money in ATMs), medicines and health services as well as transportation.    The protection situation for most women and children, especially those on the move or trapped inside cities experiencing active hostilities, continues to worsen. Even before the recent escalation, three-quarters of women in Ukraine had experienced some form of gender-based violence (GBV) in their lifetime. While protection risks continue to rise amid a worsening security situation, including sexual violence, sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) and human trafficking, access to related protection services is deteriorating.    According to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General, reports have already surfaced of cases of sexual violence against women, children and older persons, which are now under investigation. Those state-run services which are still operational have largely shifted their focus away from GBV to addressing the needs of IDPs.    Impacts on health services. As health needs continue to rise, access to critical health services becomes increasingly restricted. Of the more than 90 attacks on health care since 24 February, 77 have directly affected health facilities, a number that is likely to increase as almost 1,000 health facilities are located in areas experiencing active fighting or with a significant presence of the Russian Federation forces.    With hostilities-related trauma and injuries on the rise, many hospitals have been repurposed to care for the wounded, leading to disruptions to basic and routine health services. Close to half of all pharmacies across the country are thought to be closed, limiting access to essential medicines.    Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) says many health workers are either displaced or unable to work, creating serious gaps in health coverage.    Impacts on education. Amid ongoing hostilities, access to education remains severally restricted, especially in eastern Ukraine, where increasingly intense clashes will have both immediate and longer-term impacts on access and educational outcomes for months or even years to come. The ongoing military offensive will greatly complicate an already challenging education context in Ukraine. Even before the recent escalation, around 30 per cent of education facilities in eastern Ukraine reported not having enough teachers, a problem that will only be exacerbated as thousands, including teachers and other educational personnel, continue to flee their homes.    According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science, of the nearly 930 educational institutions damaged or destroyed across Ukraine, more than 380 of them – around 41 per cent of all educational institutions damaged or destroyed – are located in the eastern Donetska, Kharkivska and Luhanska oblasts.    Save the Children says that more than 20 schools a day on average have been attacked across the country since 24 February. Attacks on education facilities endanger the lives of children and the futures of the country’s approximately 7.5 million children – 5.5 million of whom are still in Ukraine – especially in the eastern part of the country.    Eastern Ukraine continues to be the epicentre of the ongoing military offensive, with clashes in Donetska, Kharkivska and Luhanska oblasts intensifying in recent days. On 4-5 April, several settlements in Luhanska oblast experienced significant shelling, especially Popasna, Rubizhne and Sievierodonetsk. Amid escalating hostilities, reports of damaged homes and critical infrastructure are on the rise in the oblast. In several oblasts settlements have been cut off from gas supplies, electricity and water supplies.    In Kharkivska oblast, relentless shelling, airstrikes and missile attacks continue to batter the city of Kharkiv and surrounding areas, like Barvinkove, Chuhuiv and Derhachi.    According to oblast authorities, more than 50 incidents of shelling were recorded in Kharkiv and nearby settlements on 4 April, compared to less than 20 the day before, a clear sign of the intensification of fighting in and around Kharkiv – the country’s second-largest city. Amid escalating clashes, oblast authorities have urged residents in Barvinkove and Lozova to evacuate In neighbouring Donetska oblast, intense shelling continues in Avdiivka, Krasnohorivka, Marinka, Mariupol, Vuhledar and Svitlodarsk.    The situation in Mariupol is particularly concerning. The already dire situation in the encircled city is greatly exacerbated by the repeated delay of humanitarian corridors that prevents the evacuation of vulnerable people and the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance. For more than five weeks, at least 130,000 people stuck in the city have faced critical shortages of food, water and medicines and remain cut off from electricity and communications.    On 4 April, local authorities warned that the situation in Mariupol is much worse than in Bucha and other towns on the outskirts of Kyiv, where laws-of-war violations have been allegedly committed against civilian populations. That same day, the Mayor of Mariupol, Vadym Boichenko, appealed for the international community to come together to push forward evacuation processes for those who remain in the conflict-ravaged city..    http://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/rapid-needs-assessment-rna-conflict-affected-areas-eastern-oblasts-ukraine-06-april http://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/response-ukraine-crisis-social-protection-food-security-and-nutrition http://www.iom.int/news/needs-growing-over-8-million-internally-displaced-ukraine http://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/news/2022/05/ukraine-new-un-women-and-care-report-highlights-disproportionate-impact-of-the-war-on-women-and-minorities http://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/in-focus/2022/03/in-focus-war-in-ukraine-is-a-crisis-for-women-and-girls    * OCHA Humanitarian updates: http://bit.ly/3ClCh5g http://reliefweb.int/country/ukr    Mar. 2022    The safety and security of all Ukraine’s nuclear power plants    International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General calls for Restraint, Reiterates need to Ensure Safety of Ukraine’s Nuclear Facilities and their Staff.    IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi stressed his continued concern about the conflict in Ukraine and any military or other action that could threaten the safety or security of Ukraine’s four operating nuclear power plants and other nuclear facilities, including the site of the 1986 accident in Chornobyl.    “The safety and security of nuclear facilities, and nuclear and other radioactive material, in Ukraine must under no circumstances be endangered,” Mr Grossi told the 35-member IAEA Board of Governors today. The Board met to discuss the nuclear safety, security and safeguards implications of the situation in Ukraine. “I have called for restraint from all measures or actions that could jeopardize the security of nuclear and other radioactive material, and the safe operation of any nuclear facilities in Ukraine,” he said.    Mr Grossi recognized the people continuing to operate, regulate, inspect and assess the nuclear facilities in Ukraine under “extraordinary circumstances of an armed conflict causing increasing challenges and dangers,” and called on their safety and wellbeing to be guaranteed by those in control. He noted Ukraine’s nuclear power plants were operating normally.    “While we may use expressions like ‘normal operations’ in a technical context, I want to emphasize there is nothing normal about the circumstances under which the professionals at Ukraine’s four nuclear power plants are managing to keep the reactors that produce half of Ukraine’s electricity working,” he said.    Mr Grossi emphasized the three main functions of nuclear safety systems – containment, control and cooling – and stressed that:    The physical integrity of the facilities – whether it is the reactors, fuel ponds or radioactive waste stores – must be maintained. All safety and security systems and equipment must be fully functional at all times.    The operating staff must be able to fulfil their safety and security duties and have the capacity to make decisions free of undue pressure. There must be secure off-site power supply from the grid for all nuclear sites. There must be uninterrupted logistical supply chains and transportation to and from the sites.    There must be effective on-site and off-site radiation monitoring systems and emergency preparedness and response measures. And finally, there must be reliable communications with the regulator and others.    The State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU) has been a key source of information for the international community, via the IAEA. Mr Grossi said that its ability to provide “accurate and complete data on the safety and security of the operation of all nuclear facilities in Ukraine should not be interrupted, impeded or influenced.”    While the primary responsibility for nuclear safety rests with national authorities, the IAEA provides assistance to its Member States, upon request, in line with its mandate – including in nuclear safety and security.    In an appeal to the IAEA’s 173 Member States, Mr Grossi called on all countries to uphold international law and fulfil the obligation they agreed to when, in 2009, they unanimously reaffirmed the General Conference resolution stating that “any armed attack on and threat against nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful purposes constitutes a violation of the principles of the United Nations Charter, international law and the Statute of the Agency.”    In line with its mandate, the IAEA continues to closely monitor developments in Ukraine.. Mr Grossi concluded: “The best action to ensure the safety and security of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities and its people would be for this armed conflict to end now.”    The Director General outlined seven indispensable pillars of nuclear safety and security at a meeting of the IAEA’s Board of Governors on 2 March, convened to address the safety, security and safeguards implications of the situation in Ukraine. Today he warned that several of them had already been put at risk during events overnight at the Zaporizhhzhya NPP, Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant.    The Seven Pillars are:    The physical integrity of the facilities – whether it is the reactors, fuel ponds, or radioactive waste stores – must be maintained; All safety and security systems and equipment must be fully functional at all times; The operating staff must be able to fulfil their safety and security duties and have the capacity to make decisions free of undue pressure;    There must be secure off-site power supply from the grid for all nuclear sites; There must be uninterrupted logistical supply chains and transportation to and from the sites; There must be effective on-site and off-site radiation monitoring systems and emergency preparedness and response measures; and There must be reliable communications with the regulator and others.    http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/iaea-director-general-calls-for-restraint-reiterates-need-to-ensure-safety-of-ukraines-nuclear-facilities-and-their-staff http://www.iaea.org/ukraine-conflict http://news.un.org/en/story/2022/03/1113302 http://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/fighting-ukraine-nuclear-power-site-irresponsible-against-geneva-conventions-under http://bit.ly/3K6ac4y http://www.passblue.com/2022/05/03/un-nuclear-watchdog-is-gravely-concerned-about-ukraine-plant-held-by-russia/ http://bit.ly/3INEnNv http://bit.ly/34hLXky Visit the related web page
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