24 May 2022 | UNDSS Comms
The United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) recently received a US$ 7.1 million grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The funds will allow the Department to implement a one-year project in Ukraine to support UN agencies, funds, and programmes to scale up the delivery of vital aid in response to the rapidly evolving and complex humanitarian situation.
UNDSS is enabling large-scale UN programmes to meet the humanitarian demand in Ukraine through essential security support and strategic collaboration with partners. The funds provided by USAID will allow UNDSS to deploy additional security personnel and equipment to complement the existing security structure in the field. In particular, the funds will bolster the UN Security’s analytical and operational capacities to facilitate the safe passage of personnel and humanitarian aid to the affected areas. “Thanks to USAID’s support, we will be able to expand our capacity for security risk management and support of UN humanitarian operations throughout Ukraine. The additional capacity will not only benefit UN agencies, funds, and programs. Benefits will be seen by other partners, to include international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) under the Saving Lives Together framework, with our aim being even greater cooperation and coordination among all entities,” said Bill Miller, Director of Regional Operations.
UNDSS has a people-centred approach to security, and therefore this grant will also fund a stress counsellor position to provide psychosocial support to UN personnel in Ukraine and their dependents. The counsellor will work in close partnership with a global network of UN stress counsellors to manage critical incident stress and strengthen the resilience of humanitarian workers, as they deliver aid in areas affected by armed conflict.
“We are immensely grateful to USAID for their strong support to the emergency response”, said Esther Kuisch Laroche, Director of the Division of Partnerships and Specialized Support. “This donation is key to rapidly increasing our capacity on the ground. Without security for UN personnel and their NGO partners, it is impossible to deliver crucial humanitarian aid to populations in need. The United Nations not only needs to coordinate the humanitarian response, but also needs to ensure its safe delivery.”
Since the onset of the war, UNDSS has supported the evacuation or relocation of over 700 UN personnel and dependents and has enabled the delivery of daily humanitarian aid in Ukraine. In a country where 15.7 million people have been identified in need, these missions have allowed the UN to reach 6.4 million people reports OCHA. Last week, UNDSS was part of a multi-agency team that supported the evacuation of civilians from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, where hundreds of civilians and soldiers had been trapped for weeks. With the financial support from USAID, the Department will continue supporting civilian evacuations and humanitarian convoys in various parts of the war-torn country.