As the war and humanitarian situation in Ukraine evolve, IKEA Foundation CEO Per Heggenes says his organization, which has previously provided aid for displaced populations around the world, is planning on “staying close” to the UN Refugee Agency.
The foundation recently pledged €20 million ($22 million) to help UNHCR provide aid to displaced Ukrainians. Given the possibility that the crisis in Ukraine could become a “protracted situation” — with the Russian military continuing its attacks on the country — the IKEA Foundation is prepared to provide further assistance to the United Nations agency, Heggenes said.
“This is an evolving situation where we wouldn’t know what this looks like in a month or two months, three months, or in a year,” he told Devex. “Therefore, we have to be flexible and work with the partners that we know well and that we know can deal with making the right decisions locally.”