Skip to main content

Estonia allocates €1 million to help mitigate the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine

Countries
Ukraine
+ 1 more
Sources
Govt. Estonia
Publication date
Origin
View original

This year, Estonia is allocating €1 million in total to help Ukraine deal with the humanitarian crisis there.

Earlier this year, Estonia contributed €311 000 via Estonian NGOs to provide humanitarian aid in communities near the contact line the Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts in eastern Ukraine. In the framework of a project of the Estonian Refugee Council, children suffering due to the conflict in eastern Ukraine will be supported with school supplies and school preparation subsidies; vulnerable households will be given assistance for preparing for winter and agricultural support in the spring, and elderly people living near the front will be provided with essential hygiene products.

A project by NGO Mondo improves the availability of education in the education establishments of the conflict region and takes the digital competency programme to the education staff in Ukraine. The project of the NGO Ukrainian Cultural Centre provides learning materials and PPE for 16 schools and education establishments.

“The humanitarian crisis in eastern Ukraine continues to demand international attention and support to alleviate the suffering of people living in conflict areas. In recent years, nearly a third of Estonia’s humanitarian aid has been earmarked for Ukraine, and this year, we will continue supporting the country to help those in need,” Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets said.

In addition to the support allocated earlier this year, Estonia is giving €100 000 to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to provide healthcare assistance through local Red Cross societies near the contact line where the impact of warfare is most palpably felt. Estonia is also supporting the renewal of the clean water infrastructure in eastern Ukraine and helps the ICRC’s active efforts to uphold respect for international humanitarian law.

Estonia allocated €175 000 for the UNHCR to provide psycho-social support for internally displaced persons and primary medical assistance to refugees and asylum seekers. Families living on the contact line in the conflict-ridden Luhansk region will be given packages with basic household articles. Estonia’s support has also helped restore civilian households that have been damaged in the conflict.

Estonia is giving €175 000 to UNICEF, that leads humanitarian aid activities in Ukraine in education, water and sanitary hygiene, and also stands up for the safety of those in need. We are allocating €100 000 to the UN Population Fund to reduce gender-based violence. It is mainly aimed at women and girls who will be offered psychological assistance and ensured access to medical services. This is vital in regions near the contact line where the availability of assistance is limited. The support will also be used to protect the sexual and reproductive health of women and girls in a humanitarian crisis.

€50 000 will be allocated to Ukraine Humanitarian Fund of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Contributions by donors are collected in a joint fund where local partners in Ukraine can apply for support to provide urgent humanitarian aid. This kind of method reduces the fragmentation of aid and increases the engagement and ownership of local actors.

This year, Estonia plans to support Ukraine with €2.4 million in total, which includes €1 million for humanitarian aid and €1.4 million for bilateral development cooperation.

Additional information:
Communication Department
press@mfa.ee