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Six leading footballers, three of whom are former refugees, are fronting a joint appeal with UEFA partner UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and the World Food Programme (WFP), to raise funds to help refugees who have fled their homes and displaced people inside Ukraine.
The global appeal #football4ukraine comes at a time when almost a quarter of Ukraine’s population – more than 10 million people have been forced from their homes. Some 3.9 million refugees have been forced to flee the country, making this the fastest-growing refugee crisis since the Second World War. An additional 6.5 million people have been displaced within Ukraine’s borders, and at least 13 million are estimated to be stranded in affected areas or unable to leave due to heightened security risks, destruction of bridges and roads, as well as lack of resources or information on where to find safety and accommodation.
The appeal includes players from across European leagues, accompanied with music by WFP’s Goodwill Ambassador, the Weeknd. The three players with a refugee background are UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, Bayern’s Alphonso Davies, Mahmoud Dahoud (Borussia Dortmund) – the first Syrian refugee to play in the Bundesliga – and Everton goalkeeper, Asmir Begovic, who was forced to flee his home in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
They are joined by Manchester City right-back and UEFA Women’s Player of 2019/20, Lucy Bronze, Olympique Lyonnais’ Ada Hegerberg, the top-scoring player in UEFA Women’s Champions League history, and Manchester United’s Juan Mata, a EURO 2012, Champions League and Europa League winner.
The players, are calling on fans – wherever they are and whatever club they support – to stand together as one team and support people driven from their homes by the war in Ukraine by donating to the appeal.
Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich and Canada, said, “It’s very sad to see the millions of people displaced from around the world due to war. The need for support is growing by the day. This is why this appeal is important, to get urgent aid where it is needed, for everyone.”
Lucy Bronze, Manchester City and England, said, “I’m heartbroken by this situation. Millions of people including many children have been forced to flee their homes in Ukraine with no idea of what the future holds or when they will be able to return home. It’s even more shocking to think that this is on top of the more than 84 million people already displaced around the world. I hope our appeal for people displaced in Ukraine will deliver the support they need.”
UNHCR and WFP: working together for Ukraine
The joint appeal brings together UNHCR’s expertise in protecting families forced to flee and WFP’s experience in saving lives in conflict zones. To ensure donations have the greatest impact for people affected by the emergency in Ukraine, they will be allocated to the two organisations to provide food, shelter, psychosocial support, financial assistance and other life-saving aid.
UNHCR and WFP are on the ground inside and outside Ukraine working day-and-night to help those who need it most. In Ukraine, UNHCR is working to provide emergency, shelter and cash assistance and critical protection services for those who have fled their homes. UNHCR is also helping coordinate the refugee response across the region, providing critical humanitarian and protection assistance, and supporting authorities to increase capacities to receive and host new arrivals.
WFP is building a massive operation to provide food for civilians trapped in major cities and assist others impacted by the conflict who have fled to neighbouring countries. WFP teams are also setting up operations and hubs in several locations in the neighbouring countries to facilitate delivery of humanitarian assistance into Ukraine.
Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said, “We are inspired by the response we’ve seen from football fans all over the world, who are showing their support for people affected by the conflict in Ukraine. Our message to everyone, is to remember that no-one chooses to become a refugee. Refugees – from Ukraine and beyond – are placed in the most heart-breaking of circumstances, forced to flee for their lives. Each of us can do our bit and unite behind the campaign, to extend our support.”
David Beasley, WFP Executive Director, said, “There cannot be a harvest where it’s raining bombs. Millions of people in Ukraine are living their worst nightmare and, unless the war stops now, the breadbasket of Europe will be unable to feed itself. With each day of fighting, hunger is tightening its grip not only in Ukraine but also in countries far away from its borders, who rely on Ukrainian wheat and grain to keep their poorest citizens alive. This war is a catastrophe for the world.”
In a year of unprecedented humanitarian needs, the crisis in Ukraine is a catastrophe compounding what is already a catastrophic year for the poorest and most vulnerable around the world. While UNHCR and WFP scale up to respond to the growing needs of the Ukraine crisis, they continue to deliver in other critical situations such as in Afghanistan, Syria, South Sudan, Yemen, and other humanitarian crises around the world, often far away from the spotlight.
