The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) this week called for nearly $300 million in funds to pay for the organizations’ humanitarian work in Ukraine and its neighboring countries amid Russia’s invasion, which has caused at least a million people to leave the country.
The ICRC requested 150 million Swiss francs, the equivalent of roughly $163 million, for its 2022 operations in Ukraine, saying it will seek to expand its work to reunite Ukrainian families and provide food and other households items to those who were displaced when fleeing Russian forces, among other efforts.
“Casualty figures keep rising while health facilities struggle to cope. We already see long-term disruptions in regular water and electricity supplies. People calling our hotline in Ukraine are desperately in need of food and shelter. To respond to this massive emergency, our teams must be able to operate safely to access those in need,” ICRC Director-General Robert Mardini said in a statement.
The ICRC is funded through voluntary donations from public and private sources, with governments funding the majority of the organization’s yearly budget.
The IFRC requested 100 million Swiss francs, equal to about $109 million, to provide assistance amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, with particularly vulnerable people including unaccompanied minors, single mothers and people with disabilities.
IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain said the needs of those affected by the invasion are “increasing by the hour” and called the situation “very desperate.”
“Our member National Societies are uniquely positioned to respond, and, in some contexts, they are the only actor that can deliver humanitarian assistance at scale, but they need support to make it happen,” said Chapagain. “I call for global solidarity to ramp up the assistance to people suffering because of this conflict.”