On 5 March, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Mariana Betsa held a meeting with the newly appointed United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Representative to Ukraine, Anne-Claire Dufay Demoulin.

Mariana Betsa congratulated her counterpart on the appointment and expressed confidence in the further deepening of cooperation with UNICEF.

“We highly value UNICEF’s assistance in addressing the priority needs of millions of Ukrainian families with children who have been placed in difficult circumstances as a result of the ongoing armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. I am confident that through joint efforts we will be able to further strengthen our cooperation with UNICEF,” Mariana Betsa stated.

Since February 2022, UNICEF has mobilized around USD 2 billion to support affected families with children in Ukraine. These funds have been directed to providing essential assistance, ensuring access to medical services in the most affected regions, and creating educational opportunities for children.

During the meeting, the parties focused on humanitarian response in the regions most affected by the war, support for nationwide education projects, rehabilitation of Ukrainian children abducted by the aggressor state and returned from the Russian Federation, as well as the school nutrition reform initiated by the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska.

Following the meeting, the parties confirmed their readiness to further deepen cooperation in order to protect the rights and well-being of children in Ukraine.