Austria Provides Record 46 Million in Humanitarian Aid to Ukraine
In order to provide relief for the suffering of the Ukrainian population, the Austrian federal government is providing a further 46 million euros. The sum is to benefit humanitarian causes in Ukraine and the affected region and is the highest disbursement ever.
The aid is to be used primarily for humanitarian purposes. / Picture: © Mirek Pruchnicki from Przemyśl, Sanok, Polska, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
In view of the humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine, the Austrian government is providing an additional nearly 46 million euros from the Foreign Ministry's Foreign Disaster Fund (AKF).
Due to the brutal Russian war of aggression and its serious consequences for the whole of Ukraine, the government now wants to provide further funds to help. This year, the budget for humanitarian aid exceeds the 100 million euro mark for the first time.
Historically high amount
The additional 45.96 million euros approved by the Council of Ministers on Wednesday is the largest disbursement ever. 41.96 million euros will be made available to the aid organization "Neighbors in Need".
Previously, the federal government had agreed to match all private donations received by Easter Monday. The legal 4 million euros will be made available to the World Food Program (WFP) to support them in their enormously important work in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Libya.
This is all the more important as the WFP anticipates a drastic increase in demand due to price increases for basic foodstuffs and the lack of grain exports from Russia and Ukraine, in order to be able to provide the people in the region, who are already affected by humanitarian crises, with the essentials they need.
"We see it as our humanitarian obligation to help alleviate the suffering of the people in Ukraine. Since the beginning of the war, Austria has already provided a range of emergency aid, including the provision of 17.5 million euros from the Foreign Disaster Fund and the delivery of civilian emergency vehicles, helmets, protective vests and fuel. With the decision in today's Council of Ministers, the federal government is keeping its promise from March and doubling all donations for Ukraine that had been collected by Easter Monday through the ORF campaign "Neighbor in Need". With a total of almost 46 million euros, this is the largest disbursement from the AKF ever. This money is now flowing to where it is urgently needed in the spirit of local aid," said Chancellor Karl Nehammer.
At least 15 million euros of the funds approved today will be used to finance projects to alleviate humanitarian hardship, especially for women and children. At least 5 million euros are to be made available to organizations for their work in Moldova, which has been particularly affected by the refugee flows from Ukraine.
As Vindobona reported earlier, the Republic of Austria recently provided 10 million euros to help Moldova cope with the Ukrainian refugee influx. This brings the total Austrian aid provided to Ukraine and other particularly affected states since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression to over 80 million euros.
BMEIA Federal Ministry for Europe Integration and Foreign Affairs