Canada and the European Union (EU) announced on Saturday (26) the launch of an international fundraising campaign for Ukrainian refugees, which will culminate on April 9 with a “donors’ conference” jointly organized by Brussels and Ottawa. .

“The ‘Stand Up for Ukraine’ campaign aims to mobilize governments, institutions, artists, businesses and individuals to designate funds to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine and neighboring countries,” the office said. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a jointly signed statement. with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

The two leaders said they were responding to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call for April 9 to hold “a big rally…on social media to support those who have been forced to flee Ukraine.”

The initiative of the European Commission and the Canadian government is carried out in collaboration with the NGO Global Citizen.

It will culminate in “a donors’ conference hosted on April 9 by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, which will aim to raise funds and mobilize broader support” for refugees and people displaced Ukrainians.

Nearly 3.8 million people have fled Ukraine, mostly to Poland, since the Russian army invaded on February 24, according to the UN, which estimates the number of internally displaced people. Ukraine to nearly 6.5 million.

In total, ten million people, more than a quarter of the population, had to leave their homes.