Unitedforukraine.org supports Ukrainian refugees through a network of over 400 legal experts and psychological support professionals from more than 30 countries. It will be part of the IRC’s Signpost Project, a global humanitarian technology program that helps refugees find resources to meet their urgent needs. Google has supported the IRC in its important work since 2015, providing $8 million in grant funding and more than 10,000 hours of pro bono support.

Over the course of six months, a Fellowship team of 13 Google employees will work full time and pro-bono with the IRC to help expand unitedforukraine.org and Signpost globally. The goal is to create a trusted place for displaced people to easily find both urgent support and long-term solutions, though of course we hope they will be able to return to a safe and secure Ukraine very soon.

Supporting frontline humanitarian work

This grant is the latest in our work to support humanitarian aid and refugee support groups in Ukraine and the surrounding countries.

Through Google.org and Googlers, we have already committed over $35 million in funding and in-kind support to aid relief efforts for those affected by the war in Ukraine. Many Googlers in the region are themselves hosting Ukrainian refugees in their homes, helping in local reception centers or at the border.

Tomorrow (5 May 2022), at the Donors Conference in Warsaw, I will announce a further commitment of $10 million in humanitarian support, which includes cash grants and in-kind donations, from Google.org and Google to help people in Ukraine. This will bring our total commitment from Google.org and Googlers to over $45 million in funding and in-kind support.

Helping through our products and tools

In times of war, accurate and timely information can save lives. We have been working to make our tools as helpful as possible to people affected by the war in Ukraine.

In Ukraine, we have worked closely with the government to send rapid air raid alerts to Android mobile phones in endangered areas, and feature information on shelter and aid points in Search and Maps.

We’re also working to protect those in the region against cyber attacks — increasing online protections for everyone, while Project Shield, our free protection against DDoS attacks, is already defending over 200 Ukrainian news, government and humanitarian organization websites. On top of this, Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) has been closely monitoring cybersecurity activity in Eastern Europe, providing regular updates and sharing information to help others detect and respond to activity.

Globally, Google is elevating trusted news sources in response to searches about the war — and shutting down harmful content and misinformation. Since the war started, YouTube has removed more than 8,000 channels and 60,000 videos for misinformation, hate speech or graphic violence related to the war in Ukraine.

Throughout, we’ve worked to ensure that our efforts provide meaningful support to the people and businesses affected by the war – and we intend to keep focused on that goal, whatever the future may hold.

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