The Board insists on channeling aid to Ukraine with donations to specialized NGOs

The Junta de Extremadura, through the Extremadura Agency for International Development Cooperation (AEXCID), works in coordination with the Spanish Government Agency for Cooperation (AECID) to provide a diligent response and facilitate solidarity to the people of Ukraine , in the face of Russia’s unilateral invasion of this Eastern European country, through proper management and channeling aid through donations of funds to specialized humanitarian organizations that are working on the ground.

In this sense, the AEXCID recommends this channeling of aid to the population so that the humanitarian response of the Spanish Cooperation can be efficient, effective and within the framework of the principles of good humanitarian donation. In addition, the Extremadura cooperation agency defends solidarity as the most relevant human and cohesion value of Spanish citizenship, since in the face of a humanitarian emergency of any kind anywhere in the world, people, organizations and institutions must react diligently, making available all the resources that, in each case, they can contribute.

In this way, and in reference to the current crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, the signs of solidarity have been constant, which has led to the fact that, during these days, numerous offers of help are being received, the majority consisting of in-kind donations of materials that are considered to be useful to the Ukrainian people affected by the crisis. For this reason, and thanking all the signs of solidarity through a generalized response, it should be noted that the AECID Humanitarian Action Office (OAH), in its role of coordinating Spanish humanitarian action, is in permanent contact with the organizations that have a presence in the area, since the capacity to receive, store and manage donations in kind is currently very limited.

For this reason, both NGOs and international organizations are launching appeals and requests for help focused on guaranteeing the Ukrainian population’s access to basic services, such as food, medical care, water, shelter and protection. These appeals are based on an analysis of needs and the estimation of a necessary budget for their coverage, designing a response that is adapted to the needs of the affected population.

In the current crisis situation in Ukraine, humanitarian aid must be complementary and coordinated so that it can urgently and efficiently reach the beneficiary population without harming local markets and channels, while avoiding endangering the actors of humanitarian action and environmental impact.

Humanitarian aid pathways

For informational purposes, and in order to provide greater utility, links are provided to possible ways of channeling aid through NGOs and international organizations present in the conflict zone:

• Statement from the Spanish Coordinator of NGDOs

• Appeal from the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent and the International Committee of the Red Cross

• United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – OCHA- Contribution through the Humanitarian Fund for Ukraine

• United Nations Agency for Refugees –UNHCR-

Extremaduran organizations

The Board recommends channeling aid to the people of Ukraine through donations of funds to specialized humanitarian organizations. The Extremadura humanitarian aid organizations that are currently working in Ukraine are: Ayuda en Acción, Cáritas, Cooperates ONG, Red Cross, Educo, Farmamundi, Doctors of the World, Save the Children and UNICEF.