The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ humanitarian decision taken earlier this year highlights Ukraine’s and the world’s largest refugee crisis. The total amount of humanitarian aid currently granted is €63 million.
The United Nations estimates that approximately 300 million people will need humanitarian assistance worldwide in 2024. Humanitarian suffering is caused by particularly devastating conflicts. One in five of the world’s children lives in a conflict area or has fled their homeland because of conflict. Severe droughts, hurricanes, and other extreme weather events caused by climate change are also causing humanitarian crises around the world.
Finland is contributing to alleviating suffering by providing humanitarian assistance through United Nations agencies, the Red Cross Movement and Finnish civil society organizations.
“Funding decisions focus on urgent, life-saving relief assistance. In addition to the biggest humanitarian crises, this aid package also takes into account the need to respond to funding shortages and rapidly escalating global crises. ” said the Minister of Foreign Trade and Development. Ville Tavio.
The Ministry is currently distributing a total of €36.5 million in national and regional humanitarian assistance. Ukraine will continue to be the main recipient of humanitarian aid, with 9 million euros allocated from the budget item “Ukraine Assistance”. Assistance to Ukraine will be provided through the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the World Food Program (WFP) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
In the Middle East, Finland supports WFP operations in Gaza and the West Bank and ICRC operations in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank with a total of €5 million. In addition, Finland has allocated assistance to crisis areas in East Africa and the Sahel region, Syria and neighboring regions, Yemen and Afghanistan.
Apart from country- and region-specific aid, Finland awards discretionary general grants to international humanitarian organizations under multi-year agreements. This year, the amount allocated for this purpose is 34.5 million euros, of which 26.5 million euros will be paid out. General grants are awarded to maintain the operational capacity of humanitarian organizations throughout the year, allowing them to respond to sudden crises and address humanitarian crises that do not receive international attention. Finland provides general grants to the World Food Program (WFP), the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and the United Nations Secretariat. Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). Additionally, funding was allocated to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). However, Finland suspended funding to UNRWA due to suspected links to terrorism. Payments will be suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ budget for 2024 allocates a total of 103 million euros for humanitarian assistance. In addition to the current decisions, preparations are also underway to provide humanitarian funding through Finnish organizations. The remainder of the humanitarian funding is expected to be awarded later this year.
inquiry
- Sanna Harty, Deputy Director-General, Humanitarian Assistance and Policy, Telephone. +358 295 350 979
- Tuomas Tähti, Special Adviser to the Minister of Trade and Development, Tel: +358 295 350 199
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs email address is in the following format: [email protected].