The IKEA Foundation Commits €10 Million to Provide Emergency Assistance in Türkiye and Northern Syria
8.2.2023 15:50:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
The donation will go to Médecins Sans Frontières’ (MSF) emergency fund to provide life saving care where medical needs are the greatest. This will support the delivery of essential aid, including medical assistance, psychological support and healthcare services to those most impacted by the devastating earthquake.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005519/en/
Image credit: Médecins Sans Frontières, Photographer: Omar Haj Kadour (Photo: Business Wire)
The IKEA Foundation is also speaking with other partners who are operating in the region. These partners are coordinating with Turkish authorities to understand further needs and opportunities to provide additional assistance. This includes discussions with Better Shelter, looking at ways to provide modular temporary housing units in Türkiye and Syria.
Per Heggenes, CEO of the IKEA Foundation, said: “We are deeply saddened by the devastation and loss of life in Türkiye and northern Syria following Monday’s earthquakes and especially by the impact on children and their families. Our hearts and thoughts go out to all those who are affected. I call on the world’s governments, businesses, and philanthropies to join us in the relief support for Türkiye and northern Syria.”
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake has so far left at least 7,800 people dead and caused widespread destruction, leaving millions of people wounded and without access to basic healthcare or shelter. Health facilities in the region are facing immense pressure and have limited staff and supplies. Many hospitals are experiencing acute shortages because of high demand to meet the needs of many patients. The situation is particularly acute in northern Syria, where more than 4 million people were already relying on humanitarian assistance.
Stephen Cornish – Director General – Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) – Operational Center Geneva, said: “We are shocked and saddened by the impact of this disaster. Health facilities are impacted and overwhelmed. Medical personnel in Türkiye and northern Syria are working round the clock to respond to the huge numbers of wounded arriving at facilities. We are deeply thankful to the IKEA Foundation for increasing their donation with an additional €10 million grant to our emergency fund.
About the IKEA Foundation
The IKEA Foundation is a strategic philanthropy that focuses its grant making efforts on tackling the two biggest threats to children’s futures: poverty and climate change. It currently grants more than €200 million per year to help improve family incomes and quality of life while protecting the planet from climate change. Since 2009, the IKEA Foundation has granted more than €1.5 billion to create a better future for children and their families. In 2021 the Foundation decided to make an additional €1 billion available over the next five years to accelerate the reduction of Greenhouse Gas emissions. Learn more at: www.ikeafoundation.org
About Médecins Sans Frontières
Founded in 1971, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international, independent medical humanitarian organization, working in more than 70 countries. MSF provides medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare. Learn more at www.msf.org
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005519/en/
Contact information
Lotika Mehta
Lotika.mehta@ikeafoundation.org
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Hitachi Joins Anthropic’s Critical Infrastructure Defense Program9.10.2026 03:32:00 EEST | Press release
Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE:6501, "Hitachi"), today announced that it has joined Anthropic, PBC’s (“Anthropic”) “Critical Infrastructure Defense Program,” launched on October 8, 2026, as a founding partner. The program is aimed at strengthening cyber defense for critical infrastructure, including control systems supporting power, water, manufacturing, and transportation services. Infrastructure systems that underpin society and the economy cannot tolerate prolonged downtime, making it difficult to implement certain security measures, such as system shutdowns for patch deployment. At the same time, advances in AI are significantly shortening the time between vulnerability disclosure and exploitation, creating an urgent need to redesign systems based on the assumption that cyberattacks will occur. The program seeks to strengthen cybersecurity through rapid vulnerability detection and remediation by integrating Anthropic’s advanced AI models, Claude, into the products and services of trusted syste
Lapmaster Wolters and Precision Surfacing Solutions Secures Strategic Minority Investment from The Cynosure Group and Fernweh Group to Accelerate Growth8.10.2026 23:49:00 EEST | Press release
Lapmaster Wolters and Precision Surfacing Solutions (“Lapmaster Wolters”), a leading global supplier of high-precision machine systems and consumables to the semiconductor, advanced materials, precision optics, and advanced packaging industries, today announced the completion of a minority equity investment by affiliates of The Cynosure Group (“Cynosure”) and Fernweh Group (“Fernweh”). The investment strengthens the balance sheet and adds long-term, engaged partners to support the company’s next phase of growth. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261008141876/en/ Positioned for growth Demand for ultra-high-precision surface finishing continues to grow as customers in semiconductors, advanced materials, and precision optics push toward tighter tolerances and higher throughput. These tailwinds are further reinforced by sustained investment in semiconductor and advanced-packaging capacity, the expansion of AI and hi
Dubai Launches Global Create AI Agents Championship with Prize Pool Exceeding AED 2.5 Million8.10.2026 20:05:00 EEST | Press release
Dubai has launched the Create AI Agents Championship, a global competition inviting innovators to develop practical and scalable AI-agent solutions that address real-world challenges, with a total prize pool exceeding AED 2.5 million. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261008883373/en/ Dubai has launched the Create AI Agents Championship as part of its efforts to accelerate the adoption and development of Agentic AI (Photo: AETOSWire) The launch of the championship was announced by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, who encouraged innovators from around the world to participate. Led by Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, the championship aims to accelerate the adoption of Agentic AI and support the development of innovative AI-agent solutions with strong potential for
Seiden Law LLP issues statement: Prosecuted by Press Conference: Declared Guilty Without a Charge, Yim Leak Family Asks UN Human Rights Experts to Hold Thailand to Its Own Treaty Commitments8.10.2026 19:26:00 EEST | Press release
Seiden Law LLP, chief global counsel to Cambodian businessman Yim Leak, announced today that Jared Genser, international counsel to Mr. Yim and his wife, has asked two UN Special Rapporteurs to send an urgent appeal to the Thai government. The request is made on behalf of the couple and their seven-year-old son. It says Thailand violated its international human rights commitments by announcing the family’s guilt before any court had tried them, and by freezing their assets, including their minor son’s savings, without a hearing. Six Official Statements in Nine Months. No Charge Filed in Any Court. Between December 2025 and September 2026, Thai officials described Mr. Yim as the center of a criminal network on six occasions: at two press conferences chaired by the head of the Thai government, in the House of Representatives, and in three government press releases. The head of the Thai government said the network had been “found to have committed” offenses. Asked about the suspects’ lawy
Sam Altman-Backed Meanwhile Raises $37.5M as Families Across Asia, Europe and the Middle East Turn to Bitcoin Life Insurance8.10.2026 19:12:00 EEST | Press release
Meanwhile, the first life insurer licensed to operate entirely in Bitcoin, today announced $37.5 million in new funding from its existing investors. Bain Capital Crypto led the round, alongside Haun Ventures, Framework Ventures, Pantera Capital, Apollo, Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures, and Morgan Creek Digital. Meanwhile, whose backers also include Sam Altman, has now raised more than $180 million. The round follows a surge in international demand for Meanwhile’s Bitcoin life insurance policies, particularly in Asia, Europe and the Middle East amid broader macro instability. In early 2026, Meanwhile launched BTC Life 1-Pay, a single-premium whole life policy built for high-net-worth clients outside the United States. It is the company's second product line after BTC 10-Pay, which is purposely designed for US taxpayers. As the company eyes further international growth, Meanwhile has signed 15 brokers serving wealthy families since launch, including in the insurance hubs of Singapore
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom