On December 16th, 2024, the United Nations Security Council convened to discuss the Maintenance of Peace and Security in Ukraine.

Briefing the Security Council at the start of the meeting, Lisa Doughten, Director of the Financing and Partnerships Division of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) highlighted the dire conditions faced by civilians, particularly near the front lines. “People live life on the edge,” she said, emphasising the impossible choices they confront as the conflict persists into another winter. Civilians must decide whether to flee in perilous conditions, leaving behind their homes and possessions, or stay and risk injury or death amidst ongoing shelling.

Ms. Doughten noted that this is not a hypothetical concern, citing recent attacks in Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Kherson that have claimed dozens of civilian lives. She further reported a steady increase in the use of long-range weapons since July 2024, with November’s casualty toll from these weapons doubling that of October.

As temperatures begin to drop to as low as -20°C in some areas, Ms. Doughten underscored the exacerbating impact of widespread damage to Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. She reported that over 60% of energy facilities have been damaged by large-scale, coordinated attacks by the Russian Federation. “Our concern for civilians intensifies,” she said, pointing out the simultaneous and “equally egregious” rise in attacks targeting humanitarian operations.

Despite these challenges, Ms. Doughten commended the humanitarian community for its continued efforts. “Grappling with the freezing conditions and the dangers posed by missile attacks, the humanitarian community is doing all it can to provide people with the support they need,” she affirmed. In 2024 alone, more than 630 humanitarian organisations have provided at least one form of assistance to 7.7 million people across Ukraine.

Ms. Doughten urged the international community to reaffirm its commitment to international humanitarian law and to increase and accelerate flexible funding for the humanitarian response. However, she concluded by emphasising that “what Ukraine and its people need is an end to this devastating war.”

Ambassador Beresford-Hill, who was invited to address the Security Council by the current President, the United States of America, outlined the Order of Malta’s humanitarian operations in Ukraine since the onset of the conflict, emphasising the Order’s impact on over 4 million people. The Order has disbursed over 60 million Euros in aid, which has been distributed across more than 70 locations in Ukraine. The organisation currently has nearly 1,000 volunteers and relief workers actively providing assistance to those in need.

Ambassador Beresford-Hill also highlighted the Order’s recent conference on Ukraine held in Rome, where testimonies were shared by doctors, volunteers, psychologists, and other professionals working in the country. He noted that one key takeaway from the conference was the grave psychological toll the war is having on Ukrainian children. The relentless bombing, destruction of infrastructure, and the absence of adults, either deceased or serving in the armed forces, have contributed to a generation of children suffering from trauma, he stressed. Ambassador Beresford-Hill noted that a secure environment is essential for children’s physical and mental development, and the conflict is deeply damaging their mental health.

Ambassador Beresford-Hill referenced alarming statistics from the US National Institute of Mental Health, which reports that nearly 50% of teenagers struggle with mental health issues, with 22% facing severe impairment, adding that these figures are based on youth in relatively safe environments, and that the damage to children in war zones like Ukraine is even more severe. He shared that the Sovereign Order of Malta has been working with tens of thousands of Ukrainian children over the past two years, providing psychosocial support through various social and therapeutic programs. However, he pointed out that these efforts can only go so far as long as the conflict continues and the country remains in turmoil.

Ambassador Beresford-Hill also highlighted the severe disruption to education, citing that over 3,800 educational facilities in Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed, leaving millions of children without access to education. In Kharkiv, only 2 out of 700 schools are offering in-person learning, while other students have been forced to study online or in converted metro stations.

Ambassador Beresford-Hill concluded by stressing that, while rebuilding the physical infrastructure of Ukraine will take time, the mental recovery of its people, especially children, is a far more complex and long-term process. He stressed that mental healing can only begin once peace is achieved, and called for a peaceful resolution to the conflict to help guide the next generation of Ukrainians toward a brighter future.