Ukraine has turned to Finland for support, in particular, to address immediate and long-term needs related to education, the environment and radiation safety. Finland will provide Ukraine with 29 million euros in humanitarian aid and to support the development of cooperation, the press service of the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports.
“Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which has continued for more than a year, has caused immense destruction and suffering. The UN estimates that 17.5 million people, or nearly half of Ukraine’s population, are in need of humanitarian assistance. To alleviate human suffering and help Ukraine in the midst of the war, Finland will allocate EUR 15 million to humanitarian assistance and EUR 14 million to development cooperation,” the statement reads.
EUR 5 million of Finland’s humanitarian assistance will be delivered through Ukraine Humanitarian Fund of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
EUR 5.4 million will be delivered through two other important partners for Finland in Ukraine, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Some of the humanitarian assistance is channelled through Finnish civil society organisations.
Moreover, the Finnish Ministry of the Environment is preparing cooperation to provide direct and long-term support for the Ukrainian environmental sector.
Military operations increase the risk of nuclear emergencies and accidents. Finland's Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) is planning cooperation with their colleagues in Ukraine in the field of radiation and nuclear safety to broaden the expertise of the Ukrainian radiation and nuclear safety authorities.
The EUR 29 million delivered now is part of the additional financing of EUR 70 million which the Government allocated to help Ukraine in 2022. In addition to this, EUR 37 million has been reserved for 2023 for supporting Ukraine through development cooperation. This will make Ukraine Finland’s biggest partner nation in development cooperation.