Valencia activates plan for immediate measures to provide aid for Ukraine

Tuesday 1st March 2022 – Mike Smith
Translated from a press release from Generalitat Valenciana

The president of the Generalitat Valenciana, Ximo Puig, has announced the implementation of an action plan that includes the first immediate measures to turn the Comunidad Valenciana into a “humanitarian corridor” with which to face the humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

This was explained to the media after holding a coordination meeting at the regional government which was attended by the Vice President, Mónica Oltra, and the Ministers of Justice and the Interior, Gabriela Bravo, and of Cooperation, Rosa Pérez Garijo, in addition to the Government delegate, Gloria Calero, and the president of the Valencian Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FVMP), Rubén Alfaro.

Ximo Puig has underlined that the regional government, the Government Delegation and the FVMP are united in the objective of turning the Comunidad Valenciana “into a humanitarian corridor” and into a “space of democracy, peace, respect for the law and freedom”. “The Comunidad Valenciana is not indifferent to the pain of the Ukrainian people” who are suffering an “irrational war” caused by an “action that harms human rights and the dignity of the entire planet”, he said, before calling for the solidarity of Valencian society, which “has never failed and will never fail”.

The president explained that, effective immediately, the Ministry of Cooperation has already mobilized, through Farmamundi, the shipment of pharmaceutical material worth 300,000 euros belonging to the agreement with this NGO (endowed with a global amount of 600,000 euros) to to reach the conflict zone.

In addition, he explained that there is also an agreement with the Cruz Roja, which also has an allocation of 600,000 euros, 50% of which will be mobilized when the humanitarian organization deems it appropriate. Likewise, there is an Emergency Fund of 1.9 million euros that is in reserve so that it can be applied when necessary.

The Ministry of Justice has also provided for the provision of legal advice, through the Professional Bar Associations, to help people who arrive in the Comunidad Valenciana or who are already here and need to clarify their legal situation. In this regard, the minister of this department will hold a meeting this Wednesday with the professional associations to specify this line of action.

2,094 hospital beds and provisional SIP

The president also announced that the Regional Health Department has informed the Ministry of Health of the availability of 2,094 hospital beds to attend, if necessary, to people injured in this war. Of these, 1,900 are available for adults and 194 for pediatric patients. By provinces, 853 belong to Alicante (779 for adults and 74 for children), 285 to Castellón (261 for adults and 24 for pediatric use) and 956 to Valencia (860 for adults and 96 for pediatric patients).

In addition, the health department will enable a provisional and simplified SIP to guarantee health care to people who arrive in the Comunidad Valenciana.

Furthermore, a coordination device will be set up so that Valencian solidarity is channeled “in the most efficient and orderly way”. In this sense, the FVMP and the Generalitat Valenciana will coordinate all the aid that each municipality gathers with a common warehouse as well as the dispatch of ​​a humanitarian convoy with food and essential products to the area.

Specific line of 112

In addition, Emergencies is going to enable a specific 112 line exclusively dedicated to assisting refugees from this war and the nearly 30,000 people from this country who are estimated to be in the territory of the Comunidad Valenciana at present.

Furthermore, the president has announced that the Mixed Commission for Attention to Refugees and Displaced Persons has been convened for this Wednesday in order to attend to the humanitarian aspect of this drama and “give the best response” possible, and that he will also bring together the main economic sectors affected by this war to establish a response to the crisis.

In this first moment, the actions will be mainly aimed at assisting Ukrainian citizens without family in the Comunidad Valenciana who have been left unable to return to their country, so that, in collaboration with the Cruz Roja, they will be provided with somewhere to stay and protection, as well as families requesting protection and asylum with minors; to people who have left the war zone alone and to Ukrainian workers and sailors who are working in companies or ships located in the Comunidad Valenciana.