Italy allocates EUR 45M to support war-affected Ukrainians

An event marking the launch of an Italy-funded program to support vulnerable populations in Ukraine's war-affected regions was held in Kyiv.

That is according to the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.

"The EUR 45 million program envisages the implementation of more than 20 projects in the field of social protection and humanitarian assistance. The initiative includes, in particular, cash assistance for vulnerable groups, development of social services, psychosocial and medical support, as well as the arrangement of temporary accommodation facilities," the statement said.

Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity Denys Uliutin thanked the Italian side for its support and emphasized the importance of avoiding duplication in the use of resources to ensure their effective distribution.

Denys Uliutin / Photo: Facebook - Ambasciata d'Italia in Ucraina

"For us, it is important that international support works as part of a unified assistance system. We are consistently moving from a fragmented model of social protection based on status to a system based on people's real needs. That is why it is essential for us that partners coordinate assistance with national policy and make maximum use of state mechanisms," Uliutin said.

Photo: Facebook / Denys Uliutin

For his part, Italian Ambassador to Ukraine Carlo Formosa stressed that the new initiative is a continuation of Italy's systematic humanitarian support for Ukraine. According to him, two previous programs made it possible to implement about 40 projects involving 60 non-governmental organizations and to provide assistance to around one million people.

Carlo Formosa (center) / Photo: Facebook - Ambasciata d'Italia in Ucraina

The current EUR 45 million program is one of Italy's largest humanitarian contributions abroad and will primarily focus on supporting regions close to the front line that are most affected by the war.

In January, Italy sent Ukraine the first batch of aid to address the energy crisis caused by Russian bombardment of infrastructure facilities.

First photo: Facebook / Denys Uliutin