UN Resident Coordinator in Ukraine completes visit to the flooded regions in Western Ukraine
8 August 2008. Ivano-Frankivsk - Today the UN fact-finding mission led by Francis O'DONNELL, UN Resident Coordinator in Ukraine, has completed their two-day visit to Ivano-Frankivsk. On 7-8 August 2008 the UN team including UNICEF Representative in Ukraine, WHO Representative and experts of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) had a chance to assess the current humanitarian situation and medium and long-term recovery needs.
The UN delegation members held a number of meetings with the local authorities and the people affected by the recent floods in the villages of Verkhovyna, Yasyniv, Kryvorivnia Halych Kolomyja Kosiv and other settlements.
The preliminary assessment outcomes and recomts include the following:
The mission was very satisfied with the level and extent of national response, including the mobilisation of resources and assistance by central and local governments, cooperation from other regions of Ukraine, solidarity within and between communities and public response and donations, as well as initial international assistance.
Many teams on the ground are already focused on bringing food, medical and other assistance to the most vulnerable and affected families, and also on rapid repair of damaged roads, bridges and other public structures, as well as private dwellings.
To some extent mostly the overall burden of costs of recovery weigh more heavily on repair of public infrastructure than private property.
Although encouraged by the effectiveness of official response and assistance, the impact of such future flash floods could be prevented by:
Mapping of risks and hazards especially hydrological;
More robust preventive measures and contingency planning;
More conservative licensing, control and enforcement of construction permits in flood-prone areas;
Greater investments in the rural areas and public infrastructure.
"We should turn the disaster situation into a development opportunity for the affected regions and promote rural areas", UN Resident Coordinator told journalists at a news-conference in Ivano-Frankivsk.
According to O'Donnell, UN will help restore the normal life in the region. Particularly, UN system in Ukraine will provide assistance to the affected regions including UNICEF immediate support to the hospitals and local medical care units; WHO expertise support in controlling epidemiological situation and checking drinking water quality; UNDP small grants to the affected communities and support through the network of the exisiting projects within Local Development Programme cluster; and assistance in medium/longer term recovery and disaster prevention
In this regard, the UN stands ready to support Ukraine in implementing the Hyogo plan of action for nature disaster reduction.
Photo by Oleksandr Klymenko, newspaper "Holos Ukrainy"
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For additional information, please contact UN Communications Officer Veronika Vashchenko at +38.067.927.6038,
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, UNDP Communications Officer Sergiy Grytsenko at +38.044.254.00.35,
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08.08.08
