Norway is increasing its humanitarian support for Ukrainians affected by Russia’s war, including deported children, detained civilians and prisoners of war, through the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The Norwegian government said on Tuesday that the funding would support efforts to trace missing people, facilitate the return of those held or transferred away from Ukraine, and assist with rehabilitation and reintegration.
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Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Espen Barth Eide, said the initiative was also aimed at drawing attention to human rights violations allegedly committed by Russia in Ukraine.
He said many Ukrainian children remained in Russia after being unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred there.
Norway has earmarked 15 million Norwegian crowns, about $1.6 million, for UNICEF programmes supporting the reintegration of children who have returned to Ukraine and efforts to trace missing children.
Another 10 million crowns will be provided to the ICRC’s Central Tracing Agency Bureau to support tracing and related humanitarian efforts.
Canada is hosting a ministerial conference on the issue in Toronto this week, co-hosted by Norway and Ukraine.
