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Norway Pledges $12M to Help Return Deported Ukrainian Children, Detainees and POWs
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Norway announced nearly $12 million in new humanitarian funding on September 29 for deported Ukrainian children, unlawfully detained civilians, and prisoners of war.
The Norwegian government stated that the funding will be channeled through UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
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The package was announced in connection with the international conference “Pathways to Peace: Returning Ukrainian Children, Detained Civilians, and Prisoners of War,” held in Toronto on September 28 and 29 and co-hosted by Norway, Canada, and Ukraine.
“These funds will help trace missing persons, support efforts to bring more people home, and assist with rehabilitation and reintegration of those affected by the war,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said.
Norway earmarked NOK 15 million, about $1.6 million, for UNICEF’s work to reintegrate children who have returned to Ukraine and trace those who remain missing.
The funding is part of Norway’s broader NOK 132 million, about $13.8 million, contribution to UNICEF’s humanitarian program in Ukraine.
Another NOK 10 million, about $1 million, will go to the ICRC’s Central Tracing Agency Bureau, while NOK 90 million, about $9.4 million, will support the organization’s wider humanitarian operations in Ukraine.
State Secretary Eivind Vad Petersson is leading the Norwegian delegation at the Toronto conference and will moderate a panel discussion on Ukrainian civilians unlawfully detained in Russia.
The Norwegian government said many Ukrainian children remain in Russia after being unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred, while an unknown number of Ukrainian civilians are also being unlawfully detained.
According to the government, detained civilians and prisoners of war are being held in extremely difficult conditions, while many families have no information about the whereabouts of their relatives.
Norway cited reports that detained Ukrainian civilians have been subjected to isolation, torture, and other forms of inhuman or degrading treatment, while often being denied adequate healthcare, sufficient food, and access to legal representation.
Since 2022, Norway has provided more than NOK 1 billion, about $104 million, to UNICEF’s work in Ukraine. Around NOK 80 million, about $8.3 million, has been earmarked specifically for efforts involving unlawfully deported and forcibly transferred Ukrainian children.
Norway has also provided more than NOK 1 billion to the ICRC since 2022, including NOK 40 million, about $4.2 million, for its Central Tracing Agency Bureau.
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Oslo said it will use the Toronto conference to draw greater international attention to the situation of detained Ukrainian civilians and strengthen international efforts to return children, civilians, and prisoners of war.
The Norwegian package follows similar Western commitments to the return of Ukrainian children taken by Russia.
On September 24, the US State Department announced $27 million to trace, return, and reintegrate Ukrainian children, with $12 million approved for programs assisting returnees and $15 million submitted for consideration.
The funding was revealed at a UN General Assembly side event on deported and forcibly displaced children. More than 2,100 children have been returned under the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, including 150 since the start of 2026.
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