On 8-9 April, Oshun Partnership joined Global Citizen in a social media rally and pledging event to Stand Up For Ukraine. The event was hosted by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The campaign has raised $10.1 billion in new grants and loans, primarily to support refugees. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February, over 10 million people in Ukraine have been displaced, while others flee Russia in protest at the war. The UN Refugee High Commissioner, Filippo Grandi, has estimated that the number of displaced people worldwide will soon reach 100 million, in effect a staggering 1% of the global population will be forcibly displaced from their homelands.
While this campaign has seen significant contributions to improving the wellbeing of refugees, as well as ensuring that Europe has the resources to absorb displaced populations, Global Citizen warned that we must still be conscious of another significant fallout of the war in Ukraine. The disruption to food supply chains are a particular concern; as the ‘breadbasket of Europe’, Ukrainian staple crops such as wheat (represented as the yellow field and blue sky upon the Ukrainian flag) will no longer reach the market. As ever, the impacts of war are far reaching and require urgent attention to avoid more people falling below the poverty line. Oshun Partnership, alongside over 70 organisations, had no hesitation in joining Global Citizen in this signing this open letter. We call on all leaders to act now in support of ending the war in Ukraine.
