Ukraine Engagement

The full-scale Russian attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022 has dramatically changed the lives of the population. The war of aggression has already claimed thousands of lives. About a third of the population has fled within the country or abroad. 30 percent of the country is contaminated with mines. Many cities are under attack, and buildings and vital infrastructure have been destroyed. There is no end to the war in sight. Nevertheless, recovery must be considered today. It will take decades and cost billions. Ukraine will not be able to accomplish this enormous task without strong support from the international community. In addition, the war has left deep wounds in society. Many people are traumatized. Veterans need to be reintegrated into society. Questions of cultural identity are being raised for many Ukrainians. All this poses great challenges to social cohesion.

The ability of people to actively shape the future of their country is essential for resilient social cohesion. Only a vibrant and healthy Ukrainian civil society can make an indispensable contribution to the country's recovery. Therefore, we aim to strengthen Ukrainian civil society in the long term and support it in the recovery process. In doing so, we systematically rely on civil society actors in Ukraine who are willing to advance the recovery process in a courageous and innovative manner, especially in the social and local context, and who want to network with each other. In doing so, we want to draw national and international attention to these people and their successful work.

We support selected projects of Ukrainian civil society that advance the country's recovery process. We focus on selected issues such as mental health, green recovery, cultural identity, and social participation, with a special emphasis on vulnerable groups. The participation of Ukrainian civil society is an important premise for us: its involvement in local decision-making, in multilateral cooperation, and as a strong voice in international discussions on recovery. In our commitment, we value cooperation with third parties. We build on our network in Ukraine, which has existed for over 30 years and which we are constantly expanding to include relevant local actors, and we rely on the solidarity of other sponsors to increase the impact of our projects together.