- The Government of Catalonia allocated 48.5 million euros in official development aid in 2022 and 2023 to address the humanitarian emergency caused by the war in Ukraine
- The actions were coordinated across the Catalan Government by various ministries
The Government of Catalonia allocated 48.5 million euros in official development aid in 2022 and 2023 to measures to address the humanitarian emergency caused by the war in Ukraine.
The actions, which involved various ministries, were coordinated with the Consulate of Ukraine in Barcelona through the Ministry for Foreign Action and European Union and addressed various areas.
For example, the actions included funding for five humanitarian action projects undertaken by the organisations Acció contra la Fam, Farmamundi, the Red Cross, the CESAL Association, and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). These projects, funded by the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation, provided food aid, health, shelter and refuge, among other aid.
At the same time, based on the needs declared by the Ukrainian Consulate in Barcelona, the Ministry of Health sent various types of healthcare material to the conflict zone, and treated Ukrainian patients who arrived in Catalonia, andthe Ministry of Equality and Feminisms also took the initiative in the reception of the more than 40,000 people who passed through Catalonia, of whom more than 25,000 still remain here today. This was all administered under the auspices of the Catalan Government's feminist transformation area.
For its part, the Ministry of Social Rights also launched an emergency system for fostering Ukrainian minors arriving without legal guardians. The Ministry is still dealing with more than a hundred cases.
The Ministry of Justice also provided services for victims of crime in the country; the Ministry of Education launched a special operation to guarantee the right to schooling for all children arriving in the country; and the Public Employment Service of Catalonia provided support for 2,239 refugees who were able to access the various job programmes.
Finally, through the Ministry of Culture, materials were developed to facilitate communication with the Ukrainian population and for learning Catalan, and 1,400 children's books in Ukrainian, printed in Catalonia, were distributed to public libraries.
Commitment to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people
Since the first day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the Catalan Government has expressed its commitment to the Ukrainian people, and has worked with the Ukrainian Consulate in Barcelona to address the country's needs. Over the past two years, Catalonia has welcomed around 40,000 Ukrainians and around 25,000 have settled here.
Apart from humanitarian aid and receiving refugees, the Government has also joined the European Alliance of Regions and Cities for the Reconstruction of Ukraine in order to coordinate a Europe-wide response after the war.
Last February, to mark the second anniversary of the start of the war, the Catalan Government organised an event at the Palau de la Generalitat to reiterate its support for Ukraine. At the event, the Catalan Executive expressed its support for negotiations for Ukraine's admission to the European Union.