The Kyiv Independent Live in London: 
Norway to allocate $2.6 million for humanitarian programs in Ukraine
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Norway said on Sept. 29 that it would increase support for deported Ukrainian children, prisoners of war (POWs), and detained civilians, committing $2.6 million to humanitarian programs in Ukraine.
The humanitarian programs are overseen by the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The Norwegian government said it had set aside 15 million Norwegian kroner ($1.5 million) to assist UNICEF's work in reintegrating previously deported Ukrainian children and tracing those who are still missing.
The new funding is part of Norway's existing contribution of 132 million Norwegian kroner ($13.7 million) to UNICEF's humanitarian program in Ukraine.
An additional 10 million Norwegian kroner (over $1 million) was allocated to the ICRC's Central Tracing Agency Bureau (CTA), an agency that helps trace missing military personnel and civilians, as well as support families whose loved ones have been detained, missing, or pronounced dead.
Norway also pledged another 90 million kroner ($9.3 million) to the ICRC's wider humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.
"Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine has resulted in serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights. We must continue to draw attention to these violations and do what we can to support Ukrainians affected by the war," said Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide.
This new support package was announced in Toronto, where the country is co-hosting a conference with Canada and Ukraine, whose focus centers around returning forcefully deported Ukrainian children, civilians, and POWs from Russian detention.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, Norway has contributed over $104 million to UNICEF's work in Ukraine, of which $8.3 million was earmarked specifically to efforts on returning unlawfully deported Ukrainian children from Russia.
The country also provided over $104 million to the ICRC, including $4.1 million to the organization's CTA efforts.
