Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne are among a group of stars from film, TV, sports and music who have signed up for a social media campaign to show support for Ukraine. The global social media rally supported by Global Citizen is taking place ahead of tomorrow's (Saturday, April 9) "Stand Up For Ukraine" pledging event in Warsaw, Poland. The event aims to mobilize significant funding to help vulnerable civilians impacted by the conflict and to support refugees everywhere. Earlier today, Ozzy and Sharon shared a video message calling world leaders to pledge substantial support to those fleeing the country. "We're standing up for Ukraine," Ozzy said in the video. "What we've seen is heart-wrenching, and we're answering the call from those on the ground in Ukraine," Sharon added. "World leaders are meeting tomorrow to decide how much funding they are giving to support refugees. We need them to stand up for refugees everywhere and contribute the billions needed for this crisis." Two weeks ago, Ozzy and Sharon's son Jack revealed on social media that he traveled to Romania to help Ukrainians fleeing the country. "I saw aspects of humanity at its worst yet also at its greatest," he wrote at the time. "Whilst working along the border I saw waves and waves of refugees, mainly women and children all fleeing their country in hopes of finding safety." The social media rally is encouraging citizens to call on governments, institutions, corporations, and individuals to donate to humanitarian efforts for Ukraine and refugees from conflicts worldwide, such as Yemen, South Sudan, and Afghanistan. Together, the "Stand Up For Ukraine" pledging event and rally seek to raise billions of dollars to bolster the United Nations' flash funding appeal to assist the more than 3.7 million refugees who have fled Ukraine, the 6.5 million people displaced within the country, and other global humanitarian priorities. Estimates suggest the costs associated with this refugee crisis could be $30 billion a year. Governments must support efforts to provide education for all children and youth, access to healthcare services particularly for women and girls, and prevent a global food systems meltdown. In addition, governments must do their part to protect the most vulnerable ones from the effect of the violence in Ukraine by protecting all refugees. This means offering protection to all people forced to flee Ukraine, suspending entry requirements, keeping borders open and offering an immediately accessible resettlement route to ensure access to asylum and international protection without discrimination, on the basis of age, gender, race, nationality or any other reason. It also means strengthening child-friendly processes to identify, register and screen for specific vulnerabilities, in particular unaccompanied and separated children and vulnerable women at the borders, and prevent as a matter of urgency the risk of trafficking.
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