Now approaching the one-year mark since the escalation of hostilities, the war in Ukraine has
resulted in a displacement and humanitarian crisis of epic proportions. The response by the
refugee-hosting countries has been characterized by a spirit of welcome and unwavering
generosity, with families and communities opening their doors to millions of refugees from Ukraine.
The local response, led by national and municipal authorities across the region, has been equally
remarkable: legions of volunteers, national and local non-governmental organizations and civil
society actors – including many of which had never previously worked in refugee contexts,
Ukrainian diaspora communities, and refugees themselves all mobilized to provide protection and
assistance to those fleeing violence.
At the same time, humanitarian partners, under the overall leadership of host governments, have
supported and complemented the national response, through coordinated and inclusive
interventions. Many of these activities were captured in the original Regional Refugee Response
Plan, launched in early March 2022, revised on 25 April 2022 and ‘recalibrated’ in October 2022 to
take into account winter-related needs and other priorities which emerged across the RRP
countries.
The situation at the start of 2023 remains of grave concern and continues to require a coordinated
humanitarian response at the regional level. As of the end of December, some 4.9 million people have
registered for temporary protection3 or a similar national protection scheme in Europe, and looking
forward, it is expected that refugees may continue to arrive, due to the ongoing conflict and a harsh
winter exacerbated by the targeting of energy and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
This Plan, which covers activities from January to December 2023, outlines the multi-partner, multi-sector response strategy and financial requirements of 243 different partners supporting the host
governments of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Republic of
Moldova, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. The RRP also includes financial requirements related to activities in Belarus as well as technical support provided by the partners to ensure regional
coherence and coordination.
As in 2022, the 2023 RRP aims at ensuring refugees’ access to protection and assistance on a
non-discriminatory basis, including the rights associated with temporary protection or similar legal
statuses in host countries. Special attention will be given to those refugees who are already or at risk
of becoming vulnerable, as humanitarian support is reduced and they are no longer able to draw on
savings or rely on assistance from family and friends and may also face challenges finding work. In
this regard, the identification of people with specific needs for whom the provision of targeted
assistance will be critical. In addition, whereas the RRP in 2022 focused primarily on the urgent
provision of protection services and humanitarian assistance upon arrival, the plan for 2023 also
places an emphasis on refugees’ socio-economic inclusion, in recognition of the challenges faced
by refugees as their displacement becomes more protracted. As the Ukraine Situation extends into
its second year, supporting the capacity of communities to extend services and assistance to
refugees will help to avoid overstretching resources and maintain the strong culture of solidarity
witnessed in the hosting States. In this context, support to host communities will focus on support
to institutions, services and facilities used both by refugees and members of host communities,
particularly in urban areas. This is also crucial to promoting solidarity and social cohesion between
host and refugee communities.
In 2023, particular attention will again be given to the Republic of Moldova, as a non-EU Member
State. There, host communities will be included in the target population figures, where the
pressures of hosting refugees have particularly strained local capacity and put pressure on scarce
resources. In the spirit of the Global Compact on Refugees, it is key to promote more predictable
and equitable responsibility and burden-sharing to ease pressure on the Moldovan society and
support it to address the needs of host and refugee communities in the country.
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
