Some of the funds will be used to help the estimated 17.5 million people in the country needing help, including with food as well as education and nuclear safety support.
Finland is planning to send a 29 million euro humanitarian aid and development support package to Ukraine, the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs announced on Friday.
The aid is aimed at alleviating human suffering as Ukraine struggles to cope with Russia’s deadly invasion, which began more than a year ago.
The UN has estimated that around 17.5 million people in Ukraine, or nearly half of its population, need humanitarian assistance, the ministry noted.
“We must combat war fatigue. To cope with this crisis, people need food, shelter and medication, and children need to get to school. We must also keep in mind that our support should help Ukraine recover from the war,”
The funds will be split, with 15 million euros allocated for humanitarian assistance and the remainder for development cooperation.
Funds to feed
Five million euros of the aid is to be channelled through the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
OCHA “directly supports food security, health services and emergency accommodation, and the work of local civil society organisations,” the ministry explained.
Another portion of the funds, around 5.4 million, will be delivered through the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Focusing on food aid, the WFP has also nourished civilians close to the front lines. It has also offered cash assistance, especially to internally displaced people, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, the ICRC, along with the local Ukrainian Red Cross, “provide assistance to meet basic needs, and offer technical and material support to repair destroyed infrastructure, and to maintain electricity and water supply and health services. The ICRC also helps to reunite families separated by war,” the ministry said.
It added that some of the aid will be channelled through Finnish civil society organisations, particularly those aimed at helping “the most vulnerable people, especially persons with disabilities.”
Education support
Around 14 million euros of aid will go towards the World Bank’s Public Expenditures for Administrative Capacity Endurance (PEACE) Project.
“PEACE provides Ukraine with funds to pay teachers’ salaries so that children can continue to go to school despite the war,” the ministry explained.
The Finnish National Agency for Education, the Ministry of Education and Culture and the foreign affairs ministry are working on more educational assistance for Ukraine during the period of 2024-2027, according to the ministry.
Nuclear safety assistance
In light of risks posed by nuclear emergencies and accidents in war situations, Finland’s Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) is planning to collaborate with Ukrainian colleagues, “to broaden the expertise of the Ukrainian radiation and nuclear safety authorities,” the ministry said.
The 29 million euros being delivered is part of 70 million euros in financing the government allocated for Ukraine in 2022, according to the ministry.
“In addition to this, 37 million euros has been reserved for 2023 for supporting Ukraine through development cooperation. This will make Ukraine Finland’s biggest partner nation in development cooperation,” the ministry’s statement said.
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