The Swedish government has decided to provide a new humanitarian aid package of SEK110 million ($10.4 million) to Ukraine, which will be used to meet increased needs ahead of the winter period, the Swedish government website said Sunday.
“Russia has targeted civilian infrastructure and deprived Ukraine of much of its heat and electricity supply. Of course, the colder it gets, the more serious the consequences. Therefore, a significant part of the population is experiencing difficulties in heating their homes and cooking. That is why the government has decided to allocate 110 million crowns to a number of humanitarian organizations in Ukraine,” said Benjamin Dusa, Minister of Foreign Development and Foreign Trade.
The humanitarian package is distributed among four organizations. The Ukrainian Red Cross received SEK50 million; the support focuses on, among other things, guaranteed access to heat and electricity, distribution of food, hygiene products, medicines and water. UNHCR received SEK20 million; Sweden will contribute to help internally displaced persons prepare and protect themselves before and during the coming winter. UNDP received SEK30 million for demining. UNFPA will receive SEK10 million to address women’s sexual and reproductive health needs, prevent sexual and gender-based violence and support survivors of violence.
Earlier, on October 17, the Nordic and Baltic countries presented a new support package to Ukraine to repair damaged and replace destroyed energy systems with new ones before winter. Sweden’s contribution amounted to SEK320 million ($30 million).
“This support package is important to support the Ukrainian energy sector and help keep Ukrainian society functioning and Ukrainian homes warm,” Dusa said.
According to the government, Sweden has previously allocated a total of SEK57.4 billion ($5.4 billion) in support for Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022: humanitarian, military and financial support, as well as support for reconstruction and reform work. Including the new support packages, Sweden’s total contribution will amount to more than SEK57.8 billion.
Including in 2024 alone, the Swedish government has decided to allocate a total of SEK1.8 billion for additional support for the Ukrainian energy sector. After two aid packages in October, this amount exceeded SEK2.2bn (over $210m).
Germany intends to allocate another EUR60 million for humanitarian aid to Ukraine, especially for the eastern regions, German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock said.
She said this before a meeting with her EU counterparts in Brussels on Monday.
“Further humanitarian aid. As the federal government, we are allocating another EUR 60 million, especially for the east of Ukraine. Because there is still a lack of everything in eastern Ukraine,” she said.
Burbock emphasized that Ukrainians have been suffering under the Russian terrorist occupation for more than two and a half years, and Germany is trying to continue to deliver humanitarian aid to eastern Ukraine together with international partners.
She also noted that Russian terror specifically targets people and normal life in Ukraine.
“Our full support is even more important at this time. We want peace, and Ukraine needs support in all its dimensions to ensure peace,” Burbank said.
The war in Ukraine has displaced some four million people, and while the country’s humanitarian needs are increasing, the amount of humanitarian aid is shrinking, said Caroline Lindholm Billing, representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Ukraine, Voice of America reported.
“There are far fewer resources for humanitarian assistance because the humanitarian needs are actually increasing because of these events. It is the most vulnerable people who will be the ones who will suffer from reduced funding and support,” Billing said.
According to her, the UN humanitarian plan for Ukraine for 2024 is $3.1 billion, including $599 million for the UN Refugee Agency. However, both the global response plan and the UN appeal were only 15 percent funded in the first quarter of this year, compared to 30 percent in the same period last year.
As the conflict drags on, turning into an “ultramarathon,” according to Billing, she added that “monetary and humanitarian assistance – in the form of providing goods and services, assistance with shelter, home repair, psychosocial support” is now “less frequent and less predictable.”
She emphasized the consequences of the Russian offensive in eastern Kharkiv Oblast, which has often left countless civilians without basic necessities such as electricity and water supplies.
Starting from April 1 this year, humanitarian aid can be imported into Ukraine only through the automated system of humanitarian aid registration, according to Oksana Zholnovych, Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine.
“At the same time, we have made it possible to use paper declarations. Starting from April 1, paper declarations will cease to exist. All the work that will be done in terms of bringing in humanitarian aid will be automatic with the help of our system,” Zholnovych said at a press briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday.
According to Deputy Minister of Social Policy Nazar Tanasyshyn, the import of humanitarian aid through the automated system will be carried out in the same way as during the pilot testing period, which lasted from December 1, 2023.
As reported, in September 2023, the Ministry of Social Policy announced a change in the rules for the import and accounting of humanitarian aid from December 1, 2023. Using the web platform “Automated Humanitarian Aid Registration System”, organizations intending to import humanitarian aid will be able to register, log in to the website, form and submit a declaration, which will be sent to customs through information exchange.
In November 2023, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine extended the possibility of using paper declarations for the import of humanitarian aid into Ukraine until April 1, 2024.
On February 14, 2024, the Minister of Social Policy Oksana Zholnovych stated that the automated system for registering humanitarian aid had proven its effectiveness in the first two months of operation.
In a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured that India will continue to provide humanitarian aid to Kyiv and support efforts to restore peace in Ukraine.
“Had a good conversation with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy on strengthening the India-Ukraine partnership. He expressed India’s consistent support for all efforts to establish peace and bring an early end to the ongoing conflict. India will continue to provide humanitarian assistance, guided by our people-centered approach,” Modi wrote on the social networking site X.
Ambassador Shri Harsh Kumar Jain handed over the 16th consignment of humanitarian aid from India, comprising diagnostic medical equipment, including a Portable X-Ray Machine, C-Arm Fluoroscope X-Ray Machine, Electro Hydraulic Operation Table, Colour Doppler Ultrasound System, and Slim – 50 Low end Multipara Monitor, etc.
The aid was provided to “Sumy Oblast Clinical Hospital” and “Krolevets City Council Hospital” on the request from Ministry of Health, Ukraine.
Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador stated that India accords high priority to providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine, during this difficult time, keeping in line with the human centric approach of the Government of India, a central tenet of India’s national beliefs and values, which perceive the whole world as one family.
He reiterated Government of India’s commitment to continue to provide humanitarian support to the people of Ukraine as conveyed by India’s Prime Minister H.E. Shri Narendra Modi to President of Ukraine H.E. Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyyduring their meeting in Hiroshima in May 2023.
Government of India has previously provided 15 consignments of humanitarian aid to Ukraine and its neighboring countries as well as financial assistance to Kyiv Gymnasium of Oriental Language No. I for its project of reconstruction, remodeling and refurbishment of some of the rooms and the Ukraine-India Association for its program aimed at restoration of psychological health of youth and children.
