16 June 2022 | UNDSS Comms
Humanitarian operations in Ukraine preceded the current conflict. They started eight years ago when the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) began running a humanitarian operation in Eastern Ukraine, following the outbreak of hostilities in the region. As part of this humanitarian response, the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) supported OCHA through threat analysis and risk management. “Our cooperation with UNDSS commenced way before the 2022 war,” stated Simon Butt, Senior Security Advisor, OCHA.
In 2021, with rising concerns over the build-up of Russian forces on the Ukrainian border, the collaboration between the humanitarian community and UNDSS intensified. “In preparation for the worst-case scenario, UNDSS conducted thorough pre-planning in coordination with other UN agencies in the country. This entailed ensuring that core communication equipment was working, staff lists were updated, and extra safety and security measures were put in place,” added Simon. “The prior planning itself created a good relationship between UNDSS as an enabler of UN activities and the humanitarian community which was useful in the run-up to the invasion.”
The start of the Russian invasion in February 2022 led UNDSS to significantly scale up its efforts to provide security expertise to all UN entities operating in Ukraine. “The speed at which UNDSS deployed its professional staff to reinforce the in-country team was commendable,” Mr. Butt added. As the Department rushed to evacuate staff from the war zone and relocate them, humanitarian agencies were moving towards the frontline to save lives. This dual imperative required agility and flexibility. “UNDSS personnel on the ground understood the humanitarian needs and risk tolerance when saving peoples’ lives hence better supported the operation,” reflected Mr. Butt.
Tailoring its response to the specific concerns of the region, UNDSS had to truly adopt a service-oriented mindset. “Humanitarian actors responded into Ukraine with the assumption that all their requests were going to be yes and UNDSS was going to figure out how that yes was going to be achieved,” noted the Gilles Michaud, Under-Secretary-General for UNDSS.
Equipped with this mindset, UNDSS has been supporting every humanitarian mission conducted by UN partners in Ukraine. “UNDSS always starts completing security procedures about three hours before commencement of a mission. In the case of the Azovstal steel plant civilian evacuation, a team from UNDSS was already final touching the security plan by 3 am,” Simon narrated. “UNDSS has been present for every single mission in Ukraine like supporting visits by senior UN officials such as the Emergency Relief Coordinator,” pointed out Mr. Butt
The Ukraine crisis is providing valuable lessons learned for UNDSS – none of which is more important than the need for close collaboration, and for enabling appropriate security responses in planning and implementation of humanitarian assistance. The partnership between UNDSS and OCHA in Ukraine is leading the way.