The Norwegian Refugee Council today launches its humanitarian response plan for the next six-months, aiming to reach 800,000 people inside Ukraine and neighbouring countries.

“Every second the war forces a person to flee across Ukraine’s borders, and countless are displaced within the country. This is the fastest-growing displacement crisis I have witnessed in my 35 years as a humanitarian worker, and it is urgent to get assistance quickly into the worst affected areas. We have worked inside Ukraine since 2014 and have the expertise to scale up in an extremely complex operating environment,” said Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

NRC’s humanitarian response plan calls for US$82 million to reach 800,000 people in Ukraine, and neighbouring countries of Poland, Romania and Moldova.

“We appeal to donors to dig deep into their pockets to find new funding for people affected by the armed conflict in Ukraine, but not take resources from other crises. Human suffering is at unprecedented levels across the world - from Afghanistan to Central Sahel - and Ukraine is the latest in a long list of crises with record humanitarian needs,” said Egeland.

NRC has already restarted operations inside Ukraine on a small scale and will rapidly step-up humanitarian relief to communities as soon as conditions allow. In addition to restarting operations for conflict-affected communities in the east, NRC also plans to scale up to meet the needs of the growing number of refugees and internally displaced people in other parts of the country.

An emergency response team is on its way to support NRC’s staff on the ground with the response, including conducting large-scale cash distributions to meet basic needs. NRC will also address shelter, water and sanitation needs. It will distribute emergency relief where local markets are not functioning, and provide critical information and legal advice.

NRC has also sent emergency response teams to Poland, Moldova and Romania, and will provide essential support for refugees in neighbouring countries, working with a range of local partners.

Note to editors:

• For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact NRC’s global media hotline on media@nrc.no or +47 905 62 329.
• In Poland: Becky Bakr Abdulla, Specialist Adviser Media and Communication, +47 41613766, becky.bakr.abdulla@nrc.no
• Video b-roll of Secretary General Jan Egeland’s visit to Ukraine in February 2022, and video showing humanitarian needs is available to download for free use here.
• Video and b-roll of people who have fled to Poland are available to download for free use here.
• Photos depicting humanitarian needs in Ukraine from before the current escalation are available to download for free use here, and of Ukrainians who’ve fled to Poland here.

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