Ukraine: Humanitarian Assistance

Baroness Tyler of Enfield Excerpts

Thursday 12th December 2024 Grand Committee

Asked by

[Baroness Tyler of Enfield]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have for enhanced humanitarian assistance for the people of Ukraine this winter, and in particular for mental health, energy and housing provision.

[Baroness Tyler of Enfield (LD)]

My Lords, we have recently had two major debates on the current situation in Ukraine. They concentrated mainly on the geopolitics of the conflict, the scale of NATO and EU strategic defence capabilities, the provision of weapons and resources to Ukraine, sanctions and the imminent return of President-elect Trump to the White House. In recent weeks, we have heard reports of offensives and counter-offensives on the front line, a rush to seize territory before any negotiations take place, the prospects of a ceasefire and a diplomatic settlement to the war and the need for strong security guarantees for Ukraine. While all this continues to rage, the number of fatalities and casualties grows ever higher.

My debate today is designed to draw attention to the scale of the humanitarian disaster unfolding before our eyes and focus our energies on what more can be done to alleviate the suffering of the people of Ukraine this winter, including what assistance can be given by the UK Government and civil society. Ever since Putin launched his illegal invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian people have faced almost unimaginable challenges, but this winter threatens to be particularly severe, with the deliberate targeting of power stations leaving many Ukrainians once again with no power or heating in the freezing winter months ahead.

A few weeks ago, I, along with other UK parliamentarians, met a group of inspirational female Ukrainian MPs. It was organised by the Ukraine-UK interparliamentary friendship group. Their suffering and, above all, their courage were humbling. I was particularly struck by what they said about the impact on children, so often the forgotten victims of war. They talked about the psychological impact on young children of constant air raid sirens, drone attacks, sleeplessness and periods of no power or heating, as well as the impact on their education and the adverse effects on their mental health.

They also shared harrowing figures estimating that almost 600 children have been killed and 1,700 wounded. Other estimates suggest that nearly 700,000 children have been deported to Russia, often resulting in citizenship changes, forced adoption and children placed under temporary guardianship—as it is called in Russia—effectively seeking to stamp out their Ukrainian identity. I am very grateful to the Library for its excellent research briefing, which highlighted that, according to UN agencies, since the full-scale invasion began, 5 million refugees from Ukraine have been recorded globally, more than 3.5 million people are estimated to be displaced inside Ukraine and—this is of key importance today—more than 14.6 million people inside Ukraine are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.

I want to spell out in a bit more detail what that means. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the humanitarian situation in Ukraine worsened in August and September due to intensified attacks. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reports that in September more than 1,400 deaths and injuries were verified, the highest number since the start of the full-scale invasion. Homes, hospitals and schools have been damaged, in addition to the disruption of other essential services, including water and electricity. The escalation of hostilities has significantly increased humanitarian needs near the front line. The World Health Organization has verified 66 attacks on healthcare facilities in Ukraine. This represents more than one-third of such attacks globally. Under constant shelling and with limited access to critical services, shops, pharmacies and banks, people remaining close to the front line need shelter repairs, hygiene products, clean water and food.

Damage to energy infrastructure is expected to worsen the challenges civilians will face in the coming months, which are forecast to be the toughest winter since 2022. The impact of the continued Russian large-scale aerial attacks targeted on Ukrainian energy infrastructure and the power supply is disrupting essential services such as water, gas and heating in Ukraine, particularly in front-line communities.

The UN World Food Programme estimates that more than 2 million people in Ukraine are suffering from insufficient food consumption, including 20% to 30% of people in the Kherson area. Earlier this month, the Financial Times reported that Russia was using drones to attack Ukrainian civilian targets in Kherson, including ambulances, police cars, fire engines and humanitarian convoys. Russian drone operatives were also reported to be targeting civilians at markets, petrol stations, cafes, post offices and aid centres, as well as dropping explosives in streets, playgrounds and public squares in non-occupied areas, injuring more than 500 civilians.

Turning to housing, the Council of Europe Development Bank noted earlier this year that housing continues to be one of the sectors most affected by the war, with more than 10% of the total housing stock in the country either damaged or destroyed, and close to 2 million households thought to be affected. Many thousands in Ukraine have been forced to leave their homes and are now homeless. While post-war reconstruction may be the only long-term answer to the housing crisis, urgent help is needed to provide services for people sleeping rough, including temporary accommodation and better housing support for people leaving the military, hospitals and prisons.

I shall now focus on mental health. The conflict continues to have profound effects on the mental health of those affected, including refugees, internally displaced people and those on the front line. According to the Ukrainian Health Ministry, the number of patients reporting mental health problems in 2024 has doubled since a year ago, with particular consequences for children’s mental health. A recent Save the Children report found that, for children, the psychological impact and emotional distress of the ongoing conflict remained at high levels across the country, regardless of whether children were displaced, returnees or residents who have not fled. Save the Children is working with a local partner in Ukraine to fund social workers to go into communities affected by the conflict to provide mental health support among other essential items. UNICEF anticipates that more than 2.2 million children need to access mental health and psychosocial support. It points to problems such as depression, insomnia and anxiety linked to children spending thousands of hours in shelters while alarms are sounding.

It is inspiring to hear about the many organisations and individuals who are doing their best to help, and I will mention a couple. UK-Med, a frontline humanitarian NGO which describes itself as “born of the NHS”, maintains a register of NHS medics who travel to global crisis areas and work alongside local staff. The organisation has sent more than 200 NHS and international medics to Ukraine to deliver services including mental health support via mobile medical units and by training civilians and local health workers in mental health support. Psychologists at the University of Manchester have created leaflets for Ukrainian parents, developed from the experiences of displaced Syrian parents living through the country’s civil war.

I have focused on children, but there is also a crying need to support veterans. It is encouraging to hear that the British Army Medical Corps has been providing training to Ukrainian armed forces medics, including psychologists, and that two-way exchange visits have been made. Whatever happens in the coming months, there will be a crying need to support veterans of the conflict with mental health problems.

Finally, I turn to the role of the UK Government. The Government’s assistance, particularly financial assistance, tends to be channelled through international organisations, such as the International Red Cross, which has used it to provide psychological support services for Ukrainian refugees in Poland, Romania and Moldova. It is welcome that, in September, the Foreign Secretary confirmed that bilateral funding for 2024-25 included £100 million specifically earmarked for humanitarian aid. Can the Minister give any breakdown of how this will be used and what proportion is going to support mental health? Has there been any follow-up to the First Lady Madame Zelenska’s very welcome visit in March, when she met children’s mental health services in London to discuss post-war mental health recovery in Ukraine, particularly how best to build community mental health services for children from front-line territories who are dealing with trauma?

Specifically on this point, we have a well-developed, if obviously overstretched, children’s mental health sector in this country, both in the NHS and the voluntary sector. As well as that sector helping displaced children and young people with mental health problems it could, I feel, help share expertise and knowhow, with a little help from government, and provide training for those in the frontline of providing such support in Ukraine. Are the Government actively considering that, and would the Minister meet me to discuss it? I very much look forward to hearing the contributions of other noble Lords.

--- Later in debate ---

[Baroness Tyler of Enfield (LD)]

My Lords, can I just ask the Minister whether he will meet me in the new year to discuss the particular support for mental health?