NordenBladet — Finland has made a one-off decision on providing Ukraine with EUR 4 million in additional support. Of this figure, EUR 3 million is a development cooperation appropriation and EUR 1 million is humanitarian aid.The development cooperation appropriation will increase the amount of funding to the Council of Europe Action Programme for Ukraine that Finland is already supporting. The Action Programme focuses on strengthening human rights, the rule of law and democracy and supports Ukraine’s own reforms and the country’s priorities. The extra subsidy of EUR 1 million brings Finland’s total contribution to the programme to EUR 2 million.EUR 0.5 million will be directed through OSCE to projects that will be implemented in Ukraine. Among the projects already supported by Finland through OSCE are projects run by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media.EUR 1 million will be earmarked for the funding of new development cooperation projects. These projects are still being assessed and any decisions concerning them will be announced later. EUR 0.5 million will be earmarked for support that will be channelled through international organisations and civil society.Finland is also preparing EUR 1 million in humanitarian aid via the Finnish Red Cross to support the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) operation in Ukraine. The operation is providing support for food and water supplies and the health care sector in Eastern Ukraine, among other things. Finland supports Ukraine extensively both through development cooperation, civilian crisis management, humanitarian mine action, humanitarian assistance, and through the Council of Europe, NGOs and NATO funds. Finland’s overall support to Ukraine since 2014 has been over EUR 70 million. Annually, the support has been approximately EUR 10 million. Development cooperation focuses on improving the quality of teaching, strengthening the rule of law, energy security and improving climate resilience. Finland is participating in the reform of Ukraine’s basic education, for example. By engaging in civilian crisis management, Finland has helped to support the strengthening of Ukraine’s security and justice sector, rule of law and conflict resolution efforts.
Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi