Tag: Migrants and refugees

“Poland remains the main country of arrival for refugees from Ukraine,” UNHCR spokesperson Olga Sarrado told journalists at a regular press briefing in Geneva.

And while the pace has slowed in comparison to early March – when over 100,000 people were arriving per day – May has continued to witness around 20,000 daily arrivals.

Vulnerable refugees

Although more people are going back and forth across the Ukraine border – for reasons including visiting family or returning to jobs – Ms. Sarrado said that given the ongoing hostilities, “Poland expects to continue receiving and hosting a considerable number of refugees.”

“Newly arrived refugees often come from areas heavily affected by the fighting, some having spent weeks hiding in bomb shelters and basements,” she updated the press.

“They often arrive in a state of distress and anxiety, having left family members behind, without a clear plan for where to go, and with less economic resources and connections than those who fled earlier.”

In need of services

Along with queries on transportation, financial support, accommodation and access to social services, the refugees’ main concerns revolve around health services and medical needs.

“Poland has put in place systems to ensure legal stay, access to employment, education, health care and other social welfare schemes for Ukrainian refugees,” said the UNHCR spokesperson.

The Polish authorities have registered over 1.1 million people, 94 per cent of whom are women and children, providing them with a state ID number that enables access to services.

Multisectoral response

Supporting government-led efforts, UNHCR is helping with protection services, cash assistance, emergency supplies and reception capacity.

“UNHCR rolled out its cash assistance programme in March,” said Ms. Sarrado, adding that to date, the agency has established eight cash enrolment centres in main refugee hosting areas, including Warsaw, Krakow, Poznan, Wroclaw, Ostroda, Gdynia and Gdansk.

“Over 100,000 refugees from Ukraine have already received financial support from UNHCR to cover their basic needs, such as paying rent or buying food and medicine.”

Cash is provided for a three-month period to those most in need – serving as a transitional emergency safety net – until they can better support themselves or be included in government social protection systems.

“Almost 20 per cent of refugees enrolled for cash assistance have specific needs,” she explained.

Providing safety

In conjunction with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UNHCR has set up 12 Blue Dot Safe Spaces in Poland, where refugees can receive immediate psychosocial support and access information on rights and services.

Critical protection assistance is also provided to people with specific needs, including referrals to specialized services and legal counselling.

Meanwhile, UNHCR continues to deliver humanitarian supplies into Ukraine from Poland, and has, so far, dispatched 139 aid trucks to help displaced and conflict-affected people inside the country.

“People and authorities of Poland have shown extraordinary generosity in welcoming refugees from Ukraine,” said Ms. Sarrado. “Strong commitment and support from the international community will be crucial to sustain this solidarity”.

Response plan

UNHCR stands ready to continue assisting the Polish authorities in ensuring that refugee needs are protected, met with dignity, and can transition to sustainable solutions.

In support of the Government-led response, UNHCR has coordinated the development of an Inter-Agency Regional Refugee Response Plan which brings together 87 partners in Poland.

Calling for $740.6 million to cover Poland’s prioritized needs, the UNHCR spokesperson informed the journalists that the plan is only 25 per cent funded.

“People have opened their homes and their hearts to the Ukrainians”, he said, in admiration for the hospitality being extended to the refugees.

Home away from home

During his visit, the UN chief stopped in on a couple hosting refugees in their two-room apartment.

Vasiliy and Klavdia Turkanu, a retired couple, have taken in a mother, daughter and grandmother–  all refugees from Nikolayev. And previously, they had hosted two men from Odessa.

“We understand what they are going through,” Klavdia said sadly, assuring that their guests are welcome to stay until the end of the war.

“We become homesick when travelling. And they can’t go back home”.

Her husband wondered, “why do people wage wars when they could live in peace and negotiate everything in an amicable manner”.

Mr. Guterres was impressed by their hospitality, acknowledging that “it is a strong emotional experience to communicate with people forced to abandon their homes under such dramatic circumstances”.

“Moldova can serve as an example of solidarity,” he added.

Cash works best

The UN chief maintained that under the circumstances, cash assistance is the best form of support.

UN agencies, including UN refugees, UNHCR, and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) help those on the move with a Cash Assistance Programme.

“We are really grateful to Moldova and the United Nations for their assistance and support,” Lubov Fedorovna from Chernobayevka told the Secretary-General.

“Our village became famous because of the war as rockets literally flew above our heads,” she continued with tears streaming down her cheeks.

MoldExpo – Refugee Centre

Having temporarily settled in Moldova’s largest refugee centre – on the MoldExpo exhibition grounds – Irina, a mother of four from the Odessa region, could not contain her sobs.

“We left almost immediately the war had begun, really frightened for our children. And yesterday we learned that our shopping centre is totally ruined”, she told Mr. Guterres.

Since the beginning of the war, this and other reception centers have processed almost half a million refugees.

And at the peak of Ukraine’s mass, the Chisinau complex housed over ten thousand people.

Although most have moved on to different countries, approximately one hundred thousand remain in Moldova.

The multi-layered crisis requires food, shelter, psychological support, and medical assistance – problems familiar to the UN chief during his years as UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Moldova support the refugees with basic amenities with help from the UN family – including UNHCR, UNICEF, the Population Fund (UNFPA), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and World Food Program (WFP).

Easy targets

What is unique about this crisis is that the refugees are mainly women and children, observed the UN Secretary-General

“Men are not allowed to leave Ukraine, women and children are alone, and they are vulnerable, he said speaking to non-governmental organizations working with UN Women.

“They can easily become victims of gender-based violence or human trafficking”.

In cooperation with Moldova’s law-enforcement agencies and civil society, the UN is doing everything it can to protect Ukrainians from such crimes.

On guard

The Women’s Law Centre works at the border and alerts women to a possible danger.

Its head, Mariana Buruiana, called “awareness” the principal weapon against such crimes.

UN News discussed a recent complaint with the head of another organization, “La Strada”.

Elena Botezatu recounted that some employees became suspicious when they noticed how a man was treating his travel companion, a young woman.

“We immediately informed the specialized anti-human-trafficking unit of Moldovan police,” she said. 

Supporting Moldova

Although the war in Ukraine has exerted tremendous pressure on the economy of Moldova, the UN chief reminded that the country is not a member of the European Union and , cannot count on its support.

He assured President Maia Sandu during a meeting that the UN would not abandon Moldova and urged the international community to support the small European country that has taken in the largest number of refugees in relation to its population size.

Youth matter

Despite his busy schedule, the Secretary-General made time to meet with representatives of Moldova’s youth.

Members of the UN Moldova Adolescents and Youth Advisory Panel raised the important topic of young people leaving the country en masse in search of a better life.

To stop the exodus, Mr. Guterres stressed the importance of securing certain conditions in their homeland, such as an education, work and financial independence.

The top UN official promised to mobilize the international community to provide the comprehensive support that Moldova has earned.

Speaking at a press conference alongside Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița in the Moldovan capital of Chisinau, the UN chief said: “Moldova is not just another country receiving refugees [and] … I am deeply concerned about the continuation and possible spread of the war Russia is waging in Ukraine, and by the impact it is having not only in the region but around the world.”  

“The United Nations is committed to supporting not only the people of Ukraine, but also the people of Moldova during these difficult times,” said Mr. Guterres, adding: Your sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and the solid progress you have made over the past three decades, must not be threatened or undermined.”   

‘Refugees live with the families of Moldovans’ 

The United Nations started a large-scale operation meant to render assistance to residents of Ukraine, including those on the territory of Moldova: at the border crossing in Palanca refugees are greeted by UN staff who help them find their bearings and to decide what to do next, render material and legal support and provide them with basic necessities. 

“But obviously, that is not enough. We need to do much more,” stressed the Secretary-General at the start of his two-day visit to the country. 

“It was not easy for the UN to readapt to a humanitarian crisis in Europe. Here, we don’t have the traditional forms of humanitarian support in crisis areas of the developing world, in fragile States,” continued Mr. Guterres, adding that in Moldova, there are no refugee camps: Moldovans are opening their homes to Ukrainians. 

The UN has rearranged its ways of working to meet these realities and is currently scaling up its most effective programmes, including for providing cash-assistance. The UN chief said people should be trusted to know what their needs are.  

The UN plans to provide such assistance to 90,000 refugees and 55,000 of the families that that take them in. 

War’s impact ripples through region’s fragile economies  

Moldova is a small European country with “fragile economy”. It is landlocked, and the Odessa port, through which it ships its merchandise to the world market, is closed due to the war.  

Furthermore, Moldova is not just the country that opened its doors to displaced persons, like many of its neighbors: in ratio to the size of its population, it has taken in the highest number of Ukrainian refugees since the start of the Russian invasion.  

While calling for “massive support” to match Moldova’s generosity, the Secretary-General stressed that other neighbouring countries like Moldova are already struggling with the socio-economic ramifications of this war coming on top of the COVID-19 pandemic and the uneven global recovery.    

In light of these and other pressing concerns, the UN chief urged Kyiv and Moscow to “step up diplomatic efforts through dialogue to urgently achieve a negotiated settlement, in line with international law and the UN Charter”, and he called on regional and international partners to support this process “in the interests of global stability.”  

“The impact of the war in Ukraine across the region and the world is profound and far-reaching. The consequences of escalation are too frightening to contemplate,” he stated, stressing: “The Russian invasion of Ukraine must stop. The guns must be silenced.” 

Bedrock of peace and security  

“On 9 May, on this very day, we must remember that dialogue and cooperation based on mutual respect are the bedrock of peace and security in Europe and around the world,” Mr. Guterres said, referring to what is known as ‘Victory Day’, which marks the anniversary of the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II in 1945. 

This year, against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, the anniversary of the victory over fascism was met with some apprehension in Chisinau, with media outlets in the region reporting possible mass actions and even the threat of clashes between supporters of different approaches in assessing those historical events.  

“The fact that I am here on the 9th of May is a pure coincidence. This visit is programmed in association with the meeting of the [United Nations] Chief Executives Board in Vienna, and so, it was convenient, both for the Government of Moldova and for me”, said Mr. Guterres, responding to a question from a journalist. 

The Secretary General congratulated Moldova on the 30th anniversary of joining the United Nations. In 1992, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the acquisition of independence. In this context, he highly appreciated Moldova’s contribution to peacebuilding, promotion of sustainable development and gender equality, as well as to the fight against climate change.  

Funding for humanitarian aid 

The UN has appealed for $2.5 billion for humanitarian aid in Ukraine, and $1.85 billion for support for Ukrainian refugees in other countries.  

“I urge all countries to give generously. In global terms, these are minuscule sums,” said the Secretary-General, also calling on all countries to consider strengthening their economic cooperation with Moldova. 

While the current flow of refugees to Moldova is not comparable to the first weeks of the war, according to UN officials who have met with Ukrainians fleeing the war at the border, on some days, the number of arrivals increases sharply, usually due to an escalation in hostilities. According to UN estimates, by the end of the year, the number of refugees in Moldova may increase to one million people, with some 250,000 of them possibly remaining in the country. 

Among his other activities today, the Secretary-General met with the Chairman of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Grosu, and on Tuesday he will meet with the President of Moldova, Maia Sandu. 

Tomorrow, the UN chief is also expected to visit the MoldExpo exhibition center, where UN staff and civil society groups are working tirelessly to assist refugees from Ukraine. In addition, Mr. Guterres is also expected to visit one of the Chisinau families that has sheltered Ukrainians.  

Six weeks ago, life was easy for Yuliia, her husband Valerii, and their small son Artemko.

They had just moved into a new apartment in a quiet, green part of Bucha. She had a job as a hairdresser and loved nothing more than when a client left her salon looking beautiful and confident.

Everything changed one awful morning at the end of February. War – violent, loud and terrifying – roared from the north. With her neighbourhood in flames, Yuliia made the decision to flee.

She and her family, including her mother Zinaida, joined over 7.1 million (as of 1 April 2022) internally displaced persons (IDPs) across Europe’s largest country.

Violence ‘impossible to comprehend’

After four weeks on the road, they arrived in the western province of Zakarpattia, hundreds of kilometres from her shattered hometown.

When Yuliia saw the horrific pictures and videos of the slaughter and destruction in Bucha, she instantly burst into tears and remained speechless for a while. “This level of violence is impossible to comprehend,” she finally said. “That is not something you would wish on the enemy, but this is something that will never be forgiven nor forgotten.”

From her neighbours, Yuliia learned that after her family had left, their flat was taken over, and their belongings were looted. The factory where Yuliia’s mother worked was destroyed by bombs.

Even though Ukrainian authorities have regained control, people are still not allowed to come back home due to risks of mines, and other explosive remnants of war.

‘This is our home now’

Here in Zakarpattia, they can finally catch a break. Together with a hundred other IDPs, they found a temporary shelter in a school in the small town of Bushtyno. Volunteers from Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic have done their best to turn impersonal classrooms into cosy bedrooms. The sports hall has become a central warehouse for all the necessities of daily life.

“So here we are. This is our home now. We have everything we need, and kind people are helping us in every way they can,” says Yuliia. “Even though we are sleeping on mattresses on the floor now, missiles are not flying over our heads and my child is safe. This is the only thing that matters now.”

She hopes that her son will not have any memories of those terrifying weeks of fear and flight. “We do not have many personal belongings but what really breaks my heart is that we were not able to take any toys for Artemko. He loves cars and, at home, he had a lot of car toys, which he misses very much, and asks all the time when he can come back home to play with them again.

I want him just to be a child, play games and spend time with other kids. If he could have some toys or a bike, he would be really happy. And it would make me happy too.”

This article first appeared on the IOM Website