RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) and UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, today announced in the margins of the 4th Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum that KSrelief is contributing USD$5.1 million to UNFPA’s life-saving work protecting women and girls in Ukraine from gender-based violence and providing vital support to survivors.
Amid the ongoing humanitarian situation in Ukraine, an estimated 12.7 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, including 2.4 million – mostly women and girls – in need of services related to gender-based violence.
Gender-based violence has been on the rise in Ukraine, fuelled by widespread fatigue, stress, and emotional exhaustion due to the current situation, which has strained interpersonal relationships, further burdening families already grappling with displacement, separation, financial insecurity, and health issues. With funding from KSrelief, UNFPA will be able to ensure that women and girls, but also men and boys, have access to life-saving comprehensive gender-based violence prevention, mitigation, and response services, particularly in underserved communities and rural areas. With two-thirds of women experiencing some form of gender-based violence in their lifetime, strengthening the response systems is critical to ensuring that essential services reach those in need.
KSrelief’s funding will provide life-saving protection services to people in most need. UNFPA’s psychosocial support mobile teams will provide psychological first aid to people exposed to gender-based violence and dedicated case managers will offer long-term guidance to help survivors access medical, legal, social, and economic support. Safe Spaces for women and girls will provide recovery and economic empowerment for survivors of GBV and women at risk - both in urban centres and rural areas. Dignity kits will be distributed and serve as an entry-point to life-saving GBV services while meeting the immediate humanitarian needs of women and girls. This funding reinforces UNFPA’s ability to deliver essential humanitarian services, empower communities, and advance long-term solutions to prevent and respond to gender- based violence.
“We’re grateful to KSrelief for funding this essential work, which not only provides immediate relief to people who have faced gender-based violence in Ukraine, but also more broadly empowers women to assume their crucial role in recovery efforts and shaping Ukraine’s future,” said Andrew Saberton, UNFPA's Deputy Executive Director (Management). "We are encouraged that KSrelief and UNFPA's longstanding partnership is expanding, and that women and girls in Ukraine who have faced unthinkable and life-shattering violence will benefit as a result."
