Norway boosts support for deported Ukrainian children, detained civilians and prisoners of war

Norway is increasing its support for humanitarian efforts to help deported Ukrainian children, detained civilians and prisoners of war, through UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross, as the Norwegian government announced.

The new financial package includes 15 million Norwegian kroner for UNICEF’s work on the reintegration of children returned to Ukraine and the tracing of missing children — part of a broader Norwegian contribution of 132 million kroner to UNICEF’s humanitarian programme in Ukraine — as well as 10 million kroner for the ICRC’s Central Tracing Agency and a further 90 million kroner for the ICRC’s wider humanitarian operations in Ukraine.

The support was announced in connection with the international conference “Pathways to Peace: Returning Ukrainian Children, Detained Civilians, and Prisoners of War”, held in Toronto on September 28–29 and co-organized by Norway, Canada and Ukraine. The Norwegian delegation is led by State Secretary Eivind Vad Petersson, who will moderate the panel on Ukrainian civilians unlawfully detained in Russia.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said that “Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine has resulted in serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights”, stressing Oslo’s commitment to the return of deported children and the release of detained civilians and prisoners of war.