May 12, 2015 – OTTAWA – The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) applauds the announcement by Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Rob Nicholson, of additional support by Canada to Ukraine.
Visiting Ukraine on 11-12 May, Minister Nicholson met with President Petro Poroshenko, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pavlo Klimkin. Minister Nicholson also visited a military hospital, and met with representatives of Ukrainian civil society organizations.
Minister Nicholson announced a Call for Proposals, “to support the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises in Ukraine,” valued at up to $30 million in total over six years. The call is open to Canadian organization or Canadian-led consortia, and can include partnerships with Canadian provinces and/or Ukrainian-Canadian diaspora organizations. More information on the project is available at http://www.international.gc.ca/development-developpement/partners-partenaires/calls-appels/ukraine-sme-pme.aspx?lang=eng\
Minister Nicholson also announced Government of Canada funding for the following projects:
- $12 million to the Chornobyl Shelter Fund, part of the package created by the G-7 during the Chornobyl Pledging Conference in April;
- $5 million for the project Countering Transnational Organized Crime in Ukraine, “to enhance Ukraine’s border security by increasing its monitoring, enforcement and patrol capacities through training and the provision of targeted equipment”;
- $3.5 million for the project Strengthening Nuclear Security in Ukraine;
- $1.2 million in project funding to “support the efforts of Canadian doctors and other medical personnel to build capacity within the medical system of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence”;
More information on Minister Nicholson’s visit and the announced projects can be found at http://www.international.gc.ca/media/aff/news-communiques/2015/05/12a.aspx?lang=eng
“On behalf of the Ukrainian Canadian community, I thank the Government of Canada for the continued strong support for Ukraine as the people of Ukraine bravely fight Russian invasion, economic and information warfare,” stated Paul Grod, National President of the UCC. “The projects announced today will help Ukraine reform and stabilize its economy, improve security and save the lives of brave Ukrainian soldiers. Canada consistently demonstrates that it is one of Ukraine’s most steadfast allies.”
