Norway will allocate a total of NOK25 million (approximately $2.62 million) to support Ukrainian children who have returned from deportation, as well as to search for missing children and assist illegally detained civilians and prisoners of war through UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
This was announced in a press release published on the Norwegian government’s website on Tuesday.
Specifically, NOK 15 million will be allocated to UNICEF’s efforts to support the reintegration of children who have returned to Ukraine and to locate missing children. This funding is part of Norway’s broader contribution of NOK 132 million to UNICEF’s humanitarian program in Ukraine.
An additional NOK 10 million will be directed to the Central Tracing Agency (CTA) of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The support package was announced at the international conference “Pathways to Peace: Returning Ukrainian Children, Detained Civilians, and Prisoners of War,” taking place in Toronto on September 28–29. Norway is co-hosting the conference alongside Canada and Ukraine.
“Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine has led to serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights. We must continue to draw attention to these violations and do everything possible to support Ukrainians who have suffered as a result of the war,” said Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Bart Eide.
According to him, the funds will help locate those missing in action, support efforts to bring more people home, and facilitate the rehabilitation and reintegration of those affected by the war.
The conference will feature testimonies from people who have returned after being held captive or deported. Prior to the conference’s opening, Norwegian State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Eivind Vad Petersen will participate in a trilateral meeting with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga.
In addition, Norway is allocating NOK 90 million to support the ICRC’s broader humanitarian activities in Ukraine.
The Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Pierre Krehhenbühl, has arrived in Ukraine and will spend the next few days in Lviv and Kyiv.
According to the ICRC press service, Krehhenbühl will hold meetings with Ukrainian authorities and the Ukrainian Red Cross.
“Mr. Krehhenbühl is visiting Ukraine during one of the harshest winters in recent years, when critical infrastructure across the country is suffering extensive damage from strikes. For many people across Ukraine, the consequences of these attacks on electricity and heating systems are extremely severe. Mr. Krechenbühl will meet with workers who are involved in the ongoing support provided by the ICRC, particularly to frontline communities,” the statement said.
During his visit, Krechenbühl will also meet with families of those who are missing, presumed or confirmed dead in combat or captured, to listen to these families and give them an opportunity to ask questions.
Together with the head of the delegation in Ukraine, Juan Pedro Scherer, he will meet with medical staff and patients at two facilities supported by the ICRC: the Burn Center of Kyiv City Clinical Hospital No. 2 and the Rehabilitation Department of Kyiv Regional Clinical Hospital. Krehhenbühl will also visit the Single Center for the Identification of Deceased Persons in the village of Tsybli, Kyiv region, which also receives support from the ICRC.
Since February 2022, the ICRC has increased the scope of its activities. During the winter season of 2025-2026, this assistance included: Cash assistance to more than 18,000 residents of frontline areas to purchase essential items before the onset of winter; Support for critical heating infrastructure, in particular the Mykolaiv and Kherson thermal power plants, the Teplokommunenergo municipal enterprise in Chernihiv, and municipal heating companies in Zelenodolsk, Dnipropetrovsk region, which provide heat to around 435,000 people; 35 providers of essential services, including 10 hospitals, received 2,635 tons of fuel briquettes to ensure heat supply during the winter.
The ICRC has been active in Ukraine since 2014 and currently has more than 750 staff working throughout the country.
