Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
On the proposal of Foreign Minister Hajja Lahbib and Minister of Development Cooperation, Caroline Gines, the Belgian Cabinet approved a new financial support package for Ukraine on 16 June 2023. These include support for NATO initiatives for Ukraine and Moldova, and the UN Women's Fund. Organizations, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the International Criminal Court Victims Trust Fund. In terms of humanitarian needs, Belgium supports multilateral organizations, including UN agencies, which provide basic services to the population on the ground, in particular the victims of the recent floods that followed the collapse of a dam near Chersonesos.
Belgium's policy of supporting Ukraine is firmly anchored in multilateral cooperation with its partners and allies. With these new contributions, Belgium is fulfilling its obligations to Ukraine and its international partners.
To equip Ukraine to defend itself against Russian aggression, assistance to the Ukrainian Armed Forces remains a priority. NATO has pooled various existing tools of non-lethal support to Ukraine in the Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP) Trust Fund for Ukraine. Belgium will make a new contribution of €1.5 million to this effort.
The Russian aggression also led to a stark deterioration in the security situation in the neighboring countries of Ukraine and in Moldova mainly. Belgium will transfer to the NATO Defense Capacity Building (DCB) Trust Fund a contribution of €1 million to strengthen the defenses of the Moldovan Armed Forces against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons.
Belgium is a world leader as a promoter of women's rights around the world and wants to take on this role in Ukraine and Moldova as well. This will be done through a new €600,000 contribution to the UN Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), a partnership between the UN and civil society. Belgium also intends to further support the fight against impunity by making a new contribution of €500,000 to the International Criminal Court, in particular to the Court's Trust Fund for Victims.
Ukraine's nuclear safety is at risk due to hostilities near nuclear facilities. The International Atomic Energy Agency plays a crucial role in ensuring Ukraine's nuclear safety. Belgium will support the activities of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Ukraine with a contribution of one million euros.
Foreign Minister Hajja Lahbib: “Through multilateral funding, Belgium continues to support Ukraine in its struggle for self-defense. And more than that: we don't just want to help the Ukrainian people defend themselves - we also want to help them mitigate as much as possible. The consequences of the war, the deep wounds inflicted.One of the ways we are pursuing it is by paying special attention to the victims of war, particularly women victims of violence.Belgian aid has been and will continue to be directed at getting people back access to basic services and a roof over their heads, access to medicines, and hospitals where they can To remain open, safe drinking water and food. Schools are being rebuilt and equipped with shelters so that children can return to school. Part of the aid will also be used for the victims of the recent floods."
The devastation in Ukraine and its impact on Ukrainian families affected all of us. Since the beginning of the war, the Russian army has caused more than 135 billion euros in material damage to the country: countless homes, hospitals and schools are in ruins. One in five Ukrainians still has difficulty accessing care or medicine since the invasion. Closer to the front lines, that number rises to one in three. Nearly half of Ukrainian children miss school due to the effects of the war. Russian attacks are also targeting utilities, leaving millions without running water or heat. Russia is targeting the Ukrainian people, hoping to demoralize them. Now we add to this the human and ecological disaster in Chersonesos.
In view of the growing humanitarian needs, a new aid package of €24 million will be introduced. This will mainly go to international aid agencies, already on the ground, such as the United Nations Humanitarian Crisis Agency (OCHA), World Food Program (WFP), UNICEF, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). . This package comes in addition to the €61.5 million in humanitarian aid that Belgium provided in 2022
Development Cooperation Minister Caroline Gines: “The consequences of the war in Ukraine – including the Chersonese disaster – will linger in the years to come. Humanitarian needs remain enormous. Coordinated attacks on water mains, power infrastructure, hospitals and schools aim to make daily life impossible for ordinary Ukrainians.” Despite all the misery, they are fighting bravely - for all of us too. Europe will not be safe until Ukraine is safe. With this new support, we are helping Ukraine and will remain in solidarity with it." 4 Leopard 2 tanks and 1 M113 armored personnel carrier to Ukraine in the new security assistance package.
This came in media statements issued by Dedonder, and reported by the official Ukrainian news agency "Ukraineform" this morning (Saturday), noting that the Belgian government agreed yesterday to send the 15th package of security aid to Ukraine at a value of 11 million euros.
Dedondre said the money would be used to send M113 tracked armored personnel carriers to Ukraine, which were decommissioned by the Belgian army more than a decade ago. But before sending them to Kiev, the necessary maintenance will be done to operate them, without specifying the number of units that will be sent to Ukraine.
She emphasized that the Belgian security assistance to Ukraine takes place within the framework of coordination between NATO member states, which are part of the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group and fulfill specific requests from Ukraine.
Concluding her remarks, the Belgian Minister of Defense clarified that Ukraine's support is not a competition between partner countries, but rather the result of a coordinated approach aimed at meeting the needs on the ground as effectively as possible.
On June 9, Brussels announced the transfer of a batch of 105 mm artillery shells worth 32.4 million euros to Ukraine, and taking into account this delivery, the total amount of Belgian security assistance to Ukraine will amount to 306 million euros.