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We are seeing Russian military operations inside the sovereign territory of Ukraine on a scale that Europe has not seen in decades.��
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Day after day, I have been clear that such unilateral measures conflict directly with the United Nations Charter.
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The Charter is clear: “All members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.”
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The use of force by one country against another is the repudiation of the principles that every country has committed to uphold.��
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This applies to the present military offensive.
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It is wrong.��
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It is against the Charter.��
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It is unacceptable.��
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But it is not irreversible.��
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I repeat my appeal from last night to President Putin:��
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Stop the military operation.��
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Bring the troops back to Russia.
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We know the toll of war.
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With deaths rising, we are seeing images of fear, anguish and terror in every corner of Ukraine.
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People – everyday innocent people – always pay the highest price.
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That is why the United Nations is scaling up our humanitarian operations in and around Ukraine.
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Today I am announcing that we will immediately allocate $20 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to meet urgent needs.
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We and our humanitarian partners are committed to staying and delivering, to support people in Ukraine in their time of need.��
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United Nations staff are working on both sides of the contact line, always guided by the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality, humanity and independence.
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We are providing lifesaving humanitarian relief to people in need, regardless of who or where they are.��
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The protection of civilians must be priority number one.
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International humanitarian and human rights law must be upheld.��
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The decisions of the coming days will shape our world and directly affect the lives of millions upon millions of people.
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In line with the Charter, it’s not too late to save this generation from the scourge of war.
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We need peace.
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Thank you.
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UKRAINE/HUMANITARIAN
Osnat Lubrani, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, affirmed the UN’s solidarity with the people of Ukraine at this time.
She said that the United Nations and our humanitarian partners are committed to staying and delivering. We are here, she said, to support the people exhausted by years of conflict and we are prepared to respond in case of any increase in humanitarian needs.
The Humanitarian Coordinator recalled that our assistance is guided by the four principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. She reminded all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law.
All �山����staff in Ukraine are safe and accounted for (approx. 1,500). We are relocating some personnel and have instructed staff to take necessary precautions.��
A core group of mission-critical staff remains working in the areas around the line of contact.
The Secretary-General, following the Security Council meeting last night, said that this is the saddest moment in his tenure as Secretary-General of the United Nations. He appealed directly to President Putin, saying, “In the name of humanity, bring your troops back to Russia.”

UKRAINE
Today, the �山����High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, noted that civilians in various parts of Ukraine were awoken by sounds of heavy bombardment and are terrified of further escalation, with many fleeing their homes. She said that reports have emerged of military strikes near major cities with significant populations, including Kharkiv, Kramatorsk, Odesa, Mariupol and the capital, Kyiv.
Ms. Bachelet said that this military action clearly violates international law and puts at risk countless civilian lives, and that it must be immediately halted. She stressed that the protection of the civilian population must be a priority and that the use of explosive weapons in populated areas should – at all costs – be avoided.��
The �山����Human Rights Monitoring Mission remains in the country and will continue to closely monitor and report on the situation.
Also today, the �山����High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, warned that the humanitarian consequences on civilian populations will be devastating, and that there are no winners in war, but countless lives will be torn apart.
Mr. Grandi said that the �山����Refugee Agency is working with the authorities, �山����and other partners in Ukraine and is ready to provide humanitarian assistance wherever necessary and possible. UNHCR is also working with governments in neighbouring countries, calling on them to keep borders open to those seeking safety and protection.��
For its part, the International Organization for Migration noted that eight years of conflict in Ukraine has have displaced more than 1.4 million people who now rely on assistance to meet their daily needs. IOM warned that this escalation will only deepen the humanitarian needs and compound the suffering of millions of families.��
IOM is also committed to staying and delivering vital assistance to the people of Ukraine and stands ready to respond to the emerging humanitarian needs in the country and the region, in close coordination with governments and partners.��
The World Food Programme also said that its team is on the ground and is ready to step up as needed, provided that access is granted, and resources are available.��
WFP noted that the Black Sea basin is one of the world’s most important areas for grain and agricultural production, and the food security impact of the conflict will likely be felt beyond Ukraine’s border, especially on the poorest of the poor. The �山����agency warned that interruption to the flow of grain out of the Black Sea region will increase prices and add further fuel to food inflation at a time when its affordability is a concern across the globe following the economic damage caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a statement, the �山����Children’s Fund Executive Director, Catherine Russell, said that UNICEF is deeply concerned that intensifying hostilities in Ukraine pose an immediate threat to the lives and wellbeing of the country’s 7.5 million children. She noted that heavy weapons fire along the line of contact has already damaged critical water infrastructure and education facilities in recent days, and that unless the fighting subsides, tens of thousands of families could be displaced, dramatically escalating humanitarian needs.
Ms. Russell said that UNICEF is working across eastern Ukraine to scale up life-saving programmes for children. This includes trucking safe water to conflict-affected areas, prepositioning health, hygiene and emergency education supplies as close as possible to communities near the line of contact and working with municipalities to ensure there is immediate help for children and families in need.��

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
This morning, the Deputy Secretary-General travelled to Nairobi, Kenya, to attend on behalf of the Secretary-General the fifth session of the �山����Environment Assembly. While there, she will engage with the leadership of �山����entities and other stakeholders as well as meet with senior officials of the Kenyan Government and other delegations attending the Assembly and the celebration of UNEP’s 50th anniversary.
On 2 March, she will proceed to Kigali, Rwanda, to attend the Eighth Session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development.�� She will meet with �山����Resident Coordinators in Africa.  During her time there, she will also meet with senior officials of the Government, African Union, stakeholders and colleagues from the United Nations system. Ms. Mohammed will return to New York on 4 March 2022. 

IRAQ
This morning, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, briefed the Security Council on the situation in the country. On government formation, Ms Hennis-Plasschaert noted that many Iraqis increasingly wonder whether the national interest is actually front and centre in ongoing negotiations - rather than access to resources and power, or how the pie of political appointments and ministries will be carved this time around.
Ms Hennis-Plasschaert emphasized that it is high time to return the spotlight where it deserves to be: on the people of Iraq.
She reiterated the importance of a sense of urgency, stressing that it is urgent for Iraq’s political leaders to overcome divisions, to put aside partisanship and to bury personal vendettas.��

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO��
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, represented the Secretary-General at the 10th High-level meeting of the Regional Oversight Mechanism of the Peace, Security and Cooperation framework agreement for the DRC and the region.
Speaking on behalf of the Secretary-General at the Summit’s opening session, Mr. Lacroix�� noted encouraging progress in regional dynamics, but he also added that civilian populations in the country’s east continue to face violent attacks by armed groups, as he witnessed himself while visiting the province of Ituri earlier this week.��
He reiterated the need for community reconciliation and social inclusion, particularly of women and youth, to address remaining challenges. He also called for continued efforts to fight impunity and strengthen regional cooperation.
Mr. Lacroix stressed that the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework Agreement and the UN’s Strategy for Peace Consolidation, Conflict Prevention and Conflict Resolution in the Great Lakes region are critical tools for the stability and sustainable development of the region that require both resources and renewed political momentum.��
Mr. Lacroix also expressed the Secretary-General’s determination to continue to plead for greater solidarity of the international community with the countries of the region and of the continent as a whole.

YEMEN
The World Food Programme (WFP) has been forced by funding cuts to scale back food assistance to millions of hungry families in Yemen, WFP Executive Director David Beasley warned today, as he ended a two-day visit to the country.
He warned that Yemen will be hell on earth if there are no funds for humanitarian operations there.
Food prices have more than doubled across much of Yemen over the past year, leaving more than half of the country in need of food assistance. Higher food prices will push more people into the vicious circle of hunger and dependence on humanitarian assistance.
WFP provides food assistance to 13 million people every month in Yemen but was forced to halve food rations for eight million people at the beginning of the year due to a shortage of funding. Five million people who are at immediate risk of slipping into famine conditions have continued to receive a full food ration.

AFGHANISTAN
Eight polio vaccination workers in four locations in northern Afghanistan were killed today while carrying out their life-saving work. We extend our deepest condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues of these courageous health workers.
The �山����team is appalled by the brutality of these killings and notes that this is not the first time health workers have come under attack. In 2021, we witnessed the killings of nine innocent polio workers during national polio vaccination campaigns. These are the first attacks on polio workers since nationwide campaigns resumed in November last year.
The �山����team stresses that this senseless violence must stop immediately, and those responsible must be investigated and brought to justice. These attacks are a violation of international humanitarian law.

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
The �山����International Year of Fruits and Vegetables 2021 drew to a close today. In a message, the Secretary-General noted that fruits and vegetables are the foundation of a healthy and diversified diet. Yet, he said, three billion people across the world cannot afford a healthy diet, and two billion are overweight or obese.
The Secretary-General said that by declaring 2021 as the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables, the United Nations brought attention to their critical contribution to human and environmental health. He stressed that we all have a role to play in safeguarding our planet, reducing loss and waste, and ensuring that nutritious food – including fruits and vegetables – reaches the most vulnerable, leaving no one behind.

SENIOR PERSONNEL APPOINTMENT
The Secretary-General has appointed Valentine Rugwabiza of Rwanda as his new Special Representative for the Central African Republic.�� She will head up the �山����Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic, or MINUSCA.��
Ms. Rugwabiza succeeds Mankeur Ndiaye of Senegal.�� The Secretary-General is grateful for Mr. Ndiaye’s service to the people of the Central African Republic during a turbulent and critical period in its history.�� His leadership was instrumental in MINUSCA’s comprehensive support to the general elections held in 2020-2021. Ms. Rugwabiza has worked for more than thirty years on Africa development and security issues; you can find much more online.