Finland donates €2 mln to aid Ukrainian pensioners through UN World Food Programme

The Government of Finland has provided 2 million euros to the UN World Food Program (WFP). The funds will be used to provide financial assistance to Ukrainian pensioners who live in the territories of active or possible hostilities.

Rubryka reports this.

The WFP's additional cash assistance program, which was launched in August 2023, aims to support pensioners with low pensions residing in areas affected by active or potential hostilities (as determined by the government's list).

Since August 2023, more than 360,000 pensioners have received payments under this program.

Thanks to contributions from Finland and other donors, WFP is continuing this program until the end of 2024.

In total, since February 2022, Finland has provided 11 million euros to support WFP humanitarian operations in Ukraine. Of these funds, €1 million was used to support a joint WFP-FAO demining program on agricultural land, which is designed to help rural families and small farmers safely resume food production in the Kharkiv region.

Another €8 million was used to provide food aid to communities near the front line and cash aid to the most vulnerable across the country.

"By providing funds for multi-purpose use, Finland demonstrates its commitment to the principles of humanitarian aid, allowing us to support Ukrainians who need it most, launch new initiatives and cover funding gaps," Richard Ragan, WFP Ukraine Director, said. "We are deeply grateful to the Government of Finland for the constant support of our humanitarian programs and the people of Ukraine."

Monetary aid is one of the many ways WFP supports Ukrainians affected by the war. WFP also distributes food kits in areas close to the front lines where food is hard to come by or very expensive, supports the government's school feeding program, and facilitates the safe demining of agricultural land in the Kharkiv region to help farmers and food producers get back to work.

WFP also chartered 25 vessels for the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the "Grain from Ukraine" initiative.

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The United Nations World Food Program is the world's largest humanitarian organization that saves lives in emergencies and uses food aid to build a path to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, natural disasters and the effects of climate change.

It should be noted that the United Nations plans to appeal to its international donors to pledge humanitarian aid to Ukraine in the amount of 3.1 billion dollars for 2024.