27 May 2022 - Canada is contributing an additional CAD 7 million (approx US$ 5.5 million) to strengthen the UNFPA programme on prevention and response to gender-based violence, including sexual violence, in Ukraine.
The new funding strengthens the AMBER project to sustain the operation of mobile teams to provide psychosocial support, the establishment of safe spaces for women and girls and specialised services for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence across the country.
Commenting on the top-up, the Canadian Ambassador to Ukraine, Larisa Galadza, said: “Canada is extending its support to UNFPA to help Ukraine address new challenges faced across the country followed Russia’s unjustifiable invasion. The additional funding will provide critical psychosocial assistance and extended services for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.”
For his part, UNFPA Representative to Ukraine, Jaime Nadal Roig, said: “I am extremely thankful for this new contribution. The support from Canada is timely. Not only does it contribute to the UNFPA humanitarian response in Ukraine, but it also ensures the continuance of our ongoing programmes in the country”.
“With this funding, UNFPA will continue to scale up its interventions to respond to the increasing needs of women and girls who are disproportionately affected by the war. We will also keep working with 30 municipalities and communities across Ukraine to strengthen the prevention and response mechanisms to sexual and gender-based violence, especially as the cases increase as a result of the war.”
AMBER (Achieving Municipalities Breakthrough in Effective Response to SGBV) is a UNFPA project implemented with the support of the Government of Canada since April 2021. By March 2026, the project aims to improve security and protection from SGBV for women and girls in Ukraine by making 30 municipalities supportive and safe for women and girls through the development of effective SGBV prevention and response systems, resilient and responsive to the needs of survivors.
******
UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, delivers a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.
