Minderoo builds on $20 million commitment to Ukraine with a further $5 million package to support a local-led recovery and affirm Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity

26 Feb 2025 – Dr Andrew Forrest AO: “The invasion of one country by another is wholly offensive to civilisation. Ukraine has every right to protect its borders, and the international community will be extremely shortsighted if it does not stand with Ukraine.”

Minderoo Foundation has today delivered an additional A$5 million for practical assistance for communities across Ukraine—funding foundational measures to drive a local-led recovery and reaffirm Minderoo’s commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Since Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine expanded on 24 February 2022, Minderoo Foundation has provided A$20 million for critical aid for the people of Ukraine, including demining, projects to enhance food and energy security as well as the protection and development of the children of Ukraine.

Dr Andrew Forrest AO today announced Minderoo would build on its existing commitments through a multifaceted package focused on Ukraine communities, including Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv and Odessa.

Russia’s war has been defined by repeated, sustained and egregious breaches of international law.

Minderoo’s package will support regions impacted by repeated Russian violations of the laws of war, including the use of internationally forbidden cluster munitions in Mykolaiv in March 2022 and a direct Russian missile strike on a civilian apartment building in Dnipro in January 2023.

Minderoo’s A$5m package includes funding for:

• Expansion of demining efforts in agricultural areas, with a focus on rural land near schools and early childhood centres.
• Support for households most impacted by war, including microfinance, agricultural inputs, and entrepreneurship support.
• Peace building and community cohesion activities in partnership with civil society.

These measures are intended to recognise Ukraine’s territorial integrity, strengthen civil resilience and reflects our commitment to Ukrainian leadership in the peace-making process.

Speaking on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Dr Forrest said he stood resolutely with the Ukrainian people and their President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“President Zelenskyy is the democratically elected leader of his people and a man of great character and resilience. As I have told the President before, we unequivocally support Ukraine to recover from this atrocious war on the terms acceptable to him and his people,” he said.

“While philanthropy can play a crucial role, governments across Europe should redouble their efforts to make Russian assets and elite interests pay for the war of aggression they have waged on Ukraine.

“Looking forward, Ukraine has the capability to draw on her deep pools of talent, vast natural resources and remarkable resilience to drive a powerful economic recovery. I look forward to working with President Zelenskyy and his team to recover Ukraine’s peaceful growth.”

Nicola Forrest AO said almost a quarter of Ukraine’s most productive agricultural land remained contaminated by landmines and unexploded ordinance, representing a US$11bn annual GDP impact on the Ukrainian economy.

“Demining is a humanitarian and economic imperative. Recovery, growth and global food security depends on it,” she said.

“Minderoo will scale our demining support to release contaminated land for agricultural productivity, focusing on women-headed families left widowed in frontline communities, and make schools safe for children to return to.

“We will work with agricultural communities to support long-term resiliency in their agricultural practices and lay the foundations for a Ukraine-led economic recovery.”

About Minderoo Foundation’s Ukraine support

Minderoo Foundation has funded over A$20 million in urgent aid to Ukraine, including:

• The de-mining of vital agricultural areas in Mykolaiv and Kharkiv with a A$5 million contribution.
• Working with the UN World Food Programme to charter a bulk carrier with nearly to deliver 23,000 metric tons of wheat to the Horn of Africa.
• Establishing grain storage solutions for over 1,600 farmers with A$4.57 million to secure 4 Mt of grain.
• Supplying 169 generators worth A$3.2 million to the Ukrainian State Emergency Service for the ‘Points of Invincibility’ project.
• Partnering with the Olena Zelenska Foundation to construct homes for displaced families with A$1.67 million.