Initiative “One Hour for Ukraine” to switch off the lights on December 21 for one hour

2022-12-16 | Political initiatives, Energy

We kindly invite you to support the solidarity initiative “One Hour for Ukraine”. We ask you to stand with Ukraine this Christmas by symbolically switching off your festive lights and cutting off festive illumination in your home for just one hour at 20:00 on the 21st of December.

 

The 21st  of December is the darkest day of the year. But darkness for Ukraine began in mid-October, as Russia bombed and shelled the country’s civilian energy infrastructure. Over 10 million people will have to go through winter with no electricity, heat, and water, while temperatures are expected to plummet to –20C degrees.

 

This Christmas we ask the world to renew the unity around Ukraine in a symbolic act of support. We are initiating ”60 minutes of darkness” to direct attention to the humanitarian catastrophe that is taking place in Ukraine.

 

We ask for your help connecting to mayors and local government in your constituencies to switch off Christmas decorations for one hour on the 21 December between 20:00 and 21:00. We ask you to communicate with your constituencies and local media about what it is like in Ukraine and urge people to participate in ”the Hour for Ukraine”.

 

This shared moment of darkness will remind everyone to stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. This hour with no festive lights, no heat or electricity will be a glimpse of how 10 million Ukrainians are spending Christmas this year.

 

We attach for your convenience a short note on the project you may share with local authorities and the media. As well as a list of Ukrainian charity organizations you may want to support.

 

Similarly, we have already reached out to other colleagues in Parliaments across the world, including Canada, New Zealand, France, the UK, Poland, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Italy. The response has been phenomenal, and we hope that with joint efforts we can really bring awareness back to Ukraine this Christmas.

You can find more information here: An Hour For Ukraine