The United Nations will soon open an office in Kherson, as announced by Denise Brown, the UN Coordinator in Ukraine, in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
"We are opening a UN office in Kherson. In July, I visited several potential locations. This is in response to questions about what comes next. Will we forget? We will not forget the war, as we are there. I have been to Kherson dozens of times, but I want us to be more physically present," she said.
Brown emphasized that the UN is physically present in various Ukrainian cities, including Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Mykolaiv, and "does not forget" the war initiated by Russia.
"I do not operate from Poland. And I do not work only from Kyiv. We have 100 UN staff in Kharkiv, 300 in Dnipro, 200 in Odesa, and 50 in Mykolaiv. We have a very large presence because we want to ensure the continuity of our actions. We are not going anywhere," she clarified.
According to Brown, when she started her mission in Ukraine in 2022, there were about 1,800 UN staff in the country, and now there are 3,200. She added that many UN workers came to Ukraine "very quickly."
"We have over 600 international staff, most of whom have never worked in Ukraine before," she noted.
At the same time, the humanitarian coordinator stressed that the situation in Kherson and the region is complex.
"I must mention Kherson; the situation there is very difficult. We are trying to do as much as possible. It is not only about the supplies we provide but also the services. UNICEF is doing a lot with the Water Company, WHO, and UNFPA is supporting hospitals. So, we are trying to improve the situation, as people are staying at home," Brown said.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Matthias Schmale as the UN System Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, effective August 11 this year.
