​​An important meeting took place in Kyiv, shaping the future of humanitarian assistance for Ukraine.

The Director-General of DG ECHO, Maciej Popowski, visited the capital to meet with international and national organizations working daily to support those affected by the war.

DG ECHO is one of the European Commission’s departments responsible for allocating humanitarian resources during crises outside the EU.

Voice of Romni President Anzhelika Bielova also joined the event. For our organization, this was an important opportunity to highlight the key challenges faced by NGOs in Ukraine and to convey to European partners the importance of a fair distribution of humanitarian resources. This concerns not only financial support but also how that aid is divided between national and local organizations that work directly with people in communities.

We heard clear answers regarding the EU’s future humanitarian response plans:


“DG ECHO is allocating the same level of funding for upcoming programs in Ukraine as last year. Against the backdrop of constant budget cuts from other partners, this is welcome news. And while DG ECHO works only through international partners who sub-grant to national and local organizations, there is progress: next year they will increase the share of funding dedicated to supporting local initiatives by 5%,” shared Anzhelika Bielova.

This means that small Ukrainian organizations will have more opportunities to develop their initiatives, while communities will receive more targeted and effective support. For Voice of Romni, this is particularly important, as our organization consistently works with the Roma community, which remains among the most vulnerable during the war.

“I am glad to have the chance to influence decisions and advocate for support for our community. My key messages to the Director-General of DG ECHO were the prioritization of vulnerable groups in aid programs (of course, I spoke about our Roma community) as well as greater attention and funding for local partners,” emphasized Anzhelika Bielova.

The meeting with DG ECHO once again confirmed how vital the voices of local organizations and community leaders are in shaping international humanitarian policy.