On 21 October, the Sovereign Order of Malta organised a conference entitled “The humanitarian crisis in Ukraine in times of war and support of the Order of Malta”, hosted at the Magistral Villa in Rome.
Grand Chancellor of the Order of Malta, HE Riccardo Paternò di Montecupo, opened the event by noting that the Order has been on the frontline providing humanitarian aid to around four million Ukrainians. Ample recognition of the Order’s efforts was given by HE Andrii Yurash, Ambassador of Ukraine to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, and via a recorded video message from the Prime Minister of Ukraine, HE Denys Shmyhal. After several important contributions, Grand Hospitaller Fra’ Alessandro de Franciscis concluded the event by underscoring the unwavering commitment of the Order to addressing the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
It was noted that, with over 60 million euros mobilised, the Order of Malta’s commitment in Ukraine is the largest since its intervention in World War II. Indeed, many organisations within the Order, such as Malteser International (MI) and national relief corps from various countries — including Romania, Ukraine, Italy, Germany, France, Poland, Hungary, among others — have been working to alleviate the suffering of refugees displaced to neighbouring counties, as well as for the internally displaced within Ukraine, around the clock since 24 February 2022.
The breadth of the support that the Order has provided is not only by the initiative of different groups, but also of the openness and humble leadership of the Order’s Ambassador to Ukraine, HE Antonio Gazzanti Pugliese di Cotrone.
Underscoring the relevance of the topic, Ambassador of the Order of Malta to Romania, HE Roberto Musneci, took part in the event online from Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukraine. This week, the Ambassador is accompanying the Order’s National Relief Corps in Romania, Serviciul de Ajutor Maltez în România (Maltez/SAMR), on one of its regular field missions to support Ukrainians in need — with a continued focus on supporting those communities hosting a number of internally displaced people.
Marking the conference and his latest field visit to Ukraine, Ambassador Musneci stated, “As a sovereign entity, the Order of Malta has again proven its ability to efficiently mobilise human and material resources in real-time to alleviate the suffering.” He added, “Our shared values, operational capacity, and tradition of nearly 1,000 years of humanitarian service, are the main ingredients that allow the Order to make such an impact to help people in their time of need.”
Read more about the conference here: https://www.orderofmalta.int/news/order-of-malta-hosts-conference-humanitarian-crisis-ukraine
