OVERVIEW
UN agencies are ramping up the delivery of humanitarian aid to non-Government controlled areas (NGCAs) in eastern Ukraine as winter has already set in and winterisation activities have been severely delayed. These deliveries became possible after the UN obtained registration to operate and resumed activities in the Luhansk area in October. So far, the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) are the only international organi- sations registered and operating in the NGCAs of Luhanska oblast. In Donetsk, ICRC and the international NGO PIN remain the only international aid organisations that are registered and continue their operations. The status of the UN submission and many INGO applications for registration remains unclear. UN support is current- ly being channelled through PIN, which has also its own pipeline. E orts on the ground are insu cient to cater for needs. Since 30 October, more than 1,740 metric tonnes (MT) of shelter, NFIs, food, medical supplies and materials were delivered to the NGCAs by the UN and its partners. This is about 11 per cent of the 16,000 MT of humanitarian assistance ready for dispatch.
The restrictions on freedom of movement as a result of the Tempo- rary Order (TO) of 21 January 2015 and the suspension of public transport prevent free movement of civilians across the 'contact line' in both directions. This is a major concern as temperatures have plummeted across the con ict-a ected area, while long queues of civilians waiting for hours at the crossing points on the ‘contact line' continue. These restrictions on freedom of movement of people and goods isolate people, impact family unity and limit access to social entitlements, medication and humanitarian assistance. Moreover, the presence of landmines and Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) in areas adjacent to checkpoints is a serious risk for civilians.
The international humanitarian community has been urging all parties to the con lict and other stakeholders to guarantee and facilitate free and unimpeded access for organisations to all a ected people, and for people to services and aid, with bureaucratic procedures and regulations reduced to the absolute minimum.