Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to the international community to join the online rally for his country's refugees on April 9.
"I appeal to Ukraine's friends all around the world to join campaign #StandUpForUkraine and support online event 'Social Media Rally' on April 9. Your help will contribute to our joint victory," Zelenskyy tweeted on Tuesday.
The 44-year-old president, who has been constantly in communication with various leaders of the world on the status of the war and his country's needs, also took the liberty in his tweet to thank European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and the international organization Global Citizen.
Accordingly, Von der Leyen and Trudeau are hosting a pledging event the day before the rally in partnership with Global Citizen. Von der Leyen announced the event on Twitter last Saturday and explained that the rally aims to cater to the humanitarian needs of the refugees and internally displaced. The campaign's literature indicated that significant funds are needed by the countries sheltering refugees to purchase food and provide housing.
"Millions of people are fleeing the bombs falling on Ukrainian cities. They are leaving their homes and their lives behind, to reach safety in other parts of Ukraine or in neighbouring countries. A Ukrainian child has become a refugee every second since the start of the war. The world must stand up for them. The European Union is catering for the needs of the millions of refugees it hosts. And we will further step up. But so much is needed--and the brave people of Ukraine deserve solidarity from citizens and governments around the globe. Together, we can give them a safe home and bring some light in their lives at this dark hour," Von der Leyen said.
Trudeau echoed Von der Leyen's call and stressed that the world is rallying behind the people of Ukraine, especially for their needs. Trudeau stressed that when people work together, the best outcomes can be achieved for those displaced by Russian President Vladimir Putin's "illegal and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine."
Global Citizen elaborated that in its desire to help Ukraine, the United Kingdom government is cutting funds allocated for Yemen, which is not okay. The advocacy organization stressed that humanitarian funding of world leaders should not be diverted but instead added to for the people of Ukraine. The United Kingdom is reportedly also slow in assisting Ukraine.
Meanwhile, NBC News reported that there are now 4 million Ukrainians who have fled their country. Half of this number are women and children. More than half of the refugees--2.3 million--are currently sheltered by Poland. Of that number, the Polish town of Medyka has welcomed more than half of the country's refugees at 1.8 million. The small town has announced its need for financial assistance for the refugees' food, basic hygiene, and accommodations.
While 300,000 refugees are in Hungary, another 300,000 in Moldova (half of which are reported to have been relocated to Romania due to lack of funding), 400,000 in Romania, and 220,000 in Slovakia.
In the face of all ongoing humanitarian efforts of various individuals and organizations from across the globe--from influential journalist Mike Evans to the US-based Slavic Gospel Association, among others--Global Citizen said these are not enough. They hope that the pledging event would be able to sustain funding for the refugees' humanitarian needs.
The rally would then be attended by actors, artists, athletes, businessmen, leaders, politicians, and citizens from around the globe. Leyen stressed that the rally is open to everyone who would like to Stand Up for Ukraine. App reported that Bruce Springsteen has joined the celebrities standing with Ukraine for the said campaign. Other celebrities who have already signed up for the event include Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, Green Day, Celine Dion, Billie Ellish, Billy Joel, Elton John, and Demi Lovato, among others.
