Finland grants €20m in humanitarian aid to Ukraine

Finland will provide Ukraine with EUR 20 million in humanitarian assistance, said the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in a press release on Monday.

The humanitarian assistance decisions of Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs prioritise support for Ukraine, major refugee crises in Africa and the humanitarian situation in the Middle East.

The ministry granted total EUR 72 million and EUR 20 million of the assistance will go to Ukraine.

Finland has granted humanitarian assistance to Ukraine since the first day of Russia’s war of aggression and will continue to do so in the years to come, said the ministry.

The EUR 20 million to Ukraine was granted under the budget item ‘Support for Ukraine’.

The assistance will be channelled through UN humanitarian agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

“Russia's strikes are making it significantly more difficult for people living in the midst of the war to survive the Ukrainian winter. It is now essential to help supply energy and heating in face of the acute needs for humanitarian support. By stepping up our assistance we are meeting people’s basic needs,” said Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio in the press release.

Finland supported UNHCR’s regional operation in the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes region with EUR 3 million, helps alleviate the famine and improve food security in Sudan by channelling EUR 2 million through WFP and contributes EUR 2 million to the ICRC’s regional operation in the Sahel region.

In the Middle East, Finland is alleviating the humanitarian distress of Palestinians by channelling EUR 5 million through OCHA’s pooled fund and EUR 2 million through the ICRC.

Finland is also easing the humanitarian situation in Myanmar and helping Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh by channelling support through UNHCR and OCHA’s pooled fund. The hunger crisis in Haiti is alleviated through WFP.

Finland also supports disability inclusion by channelling altogether EUR 6 million through the UN agencies WFP, UNHCR, the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and the Global Disability Fund (GDF). This helps humanitarian assistance reach people with disabilities who are often the most vulnerable members of society.

Finland will also grant EUR 4 million to WFP’s school meals activities.

In addition to humanitarian assistance, Finland grants core funding to multilateral humanitarian organisations, ensuring them flexibility to respond when humanitarian needs emerge.