World Refugee Day marked with music and art exhibition in Chisinau
World Refugee Day was marked on Tuesday in Chisinau with an art exhibition and a concert given by several artists from Moldova and Ukraine. Among the performers were Pasha Parfeni and Adrian Ursu from Moldova and saxophonist Igor Znatokov and singer Olga Gornyh from Ukraine. Olesya Shevchenko, the wife of His Excellency the Ambassador of Ukraine to Moldova, gave an enthralling performance in Romanian, sending a message of gratitude to the Moldovans for hosting Ukrainians in their time of need.
The event was organised by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) at the National Museum of History and brought together Ministers, Ambassadors, heads of UN and international agencies as well as Ukrainians fleeing the war who have found safety in Moldova. Among them was Anastasia Ciorninkaia, who spoke about the suffering her compatriots have gone through and thanked Moldovans for their hospitality: “We were living in our homes, we were safe, drinking tea, making plans for the future, but one day at 5 am we heard an explosion, a terrible sound that changed our lives forever”, Anastasia said, adding, “Thousands of us left our homes and crossed the border into Moldova. You met us at border, fed us, sheltered us. I promise from this stage that I will pass on to the next generations how you helped us!”.
Francesca Bonelli, UNHCR representative in Moldova, also expressed her gratitude to the people and government of the Republic of Moldova, donors, humanitarian partners and all others who helped respond to the refugee crisis. “In my few months in the Republic of Moldova, I have witnessed the great hospitality Moldovans have accorded to refugees. And I discovered that this is rooted in the CASA MARE tradition which reserves the best room in the house for guests,” Ms. Bonelli appealed for increased international support for refugees and the local population.
The event was also attended by Marcel Spatari Minister of Labour and Social Protection and Jana Costachi, State Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The two senior officials commended the efforts of all those involved in responding to the refugee crisis. “The greatest credit goes not to the Ministry, not to the Government, but to the community and volunteers. Today, more than 95% of refugees are hosted by Moldovan families or have found housing on their own. We can have the best ministers, the best development partners, the best action plans, but we won’t achieve anything if we don’t have the most important thing of all – Peace!” Mr. Spatari said.
The head of the Joint Refugee Crisis Management Cell, Colonel Adrian Efros, said that since February more than half a million Ukrainian refugees have transited through Moldova and more than 80 thousand were still in the country, half of them children.
According to Colonel Efros, more than 100 Ukrainian babies were born in the Republic of Moldova since February and more than 6,000 children have been enrolled in schools.
World Refugee Day was first celebrated on 20 June 2001 and was created by the United Nations to honour refugees around the world. Each year, the event celebrates the strength and courage of people who have been forced to leave their homeland to stay alive because of conflicts or persecution. While it is important to protect and improve the lives of refugees every day, World Refugee Day helps focus global attention on the plight of these people and creates opportunities to support them. Currently, more than 85 thousand refugees are in the Republic of Moldova, including more than 80,000 Ukrainians and more than 3,700 people from other nationalities.
For further information, please contact:
Kisut Gebreegziabher
Communicatios Officer & Spokesperson
UNHCR Moldova
Mobile: +37367722468
WhatsApp: +254712856340
UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador MIYAVI calls for increased support as he concluded visit to Moldova
Chisinau, Republic of Moldova: -The UN Refugee Agency’s Goodwill Ambassador and Japanese artist MIYAVI concluded his three-day visit to the Republic of Moldova with a call for increased international support to Ukrainian refugees and Moldovan families who have welcomed them with open arms.
The renowned musician, actor and philanthropist visited three centres accommodating refugees and listened to their stories. He toured facilities providing key services to refugees, including UNHCR’s cash enrolment centre where refugees have been issued with pre-paid cards of $US120 per person per month.
“I’m saddened, impressed and mesmerized by the stories of challenge, resilience and hope that the refugees have shared with me”, MIYAVI said, adding “My mission as the UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador is to share these stories with the rest of the world and appeal for increased support for Moldova, a small country with a big heart, so that it can continue to support the refugees.”
Mr.Sergiu Odainic, General State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, briefed him about the support that Moldova has been extending to refugees and the gaps that need to be filled. MIYAVI said that he was captivated by the overwhelming solidarity Moldovans have shown to refugees which he described as “a great example.” He reiterated his resolve to advocate on behalf of Moldova and the refugees under its care.
The star guitarist later met with UNHCR’s national and international partners, including a local NGO – Moldova for Peace which mobilized thousands of volunteers and mounted a spontaneous response at the onset of the refugee crisis. With UNHCR’s support, the NGO is setting up a community center providing safe space and services to vulnerable refugee women.
The highlight of his visit was a music session with children from Moldova as well as from Ukraine, Syria, Turkey and Iran who played violin, guitar and piano, sang and danced with him, brining much needed smiles to their faces.
Francesca Bonelli, the UNHCR Representative in the Republic of Moldova, thanked MIYAVI for visiting Moldova to see the situation for himself and to advocate on behalf of refugees and Moldovans. “I am incredibly impressed by MIYAVI’s capacity to using the power of music to advocate for refugees and help mobilize more support for Moldova”.
By allowing over 500,000 refugees to enter the country, Moldova has received one of the highest number of refugees per 10,000 inhabitants in the region. More than 86,000 of them are still in the country, mostly accommodated by Moldovan families.
UNHCR, the government of Moldova and 40 organizations have recently launched an inter-agency response plan appealing for USD $414.2 million to help refugees and vulnerable Moldovan host families until the end of the year. To date, only 27% of the financial requirements have been met.
For further information, please contact:
Kisut Gebreegziabher
Communicatios Officer & Spokesperson
UNHCR Moldova
Mobile: +37367722468
WhatsApp: +254712856340
UNHCR, the Government of Moldova and partners launch a joint plan to support refugees from Ukraine and their hosts
Moldova-Chisinau,-In response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis, the Government of the Republic of Moldova, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, the UN family in Moldova, and partners today launched the Inter-Agency Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP) for Moldova, appealing for sustained financial support to help refugees and Moldovan families generously hosting them.
A key objective of the response plan is to provide coordinated support to government-led efforts to address the protection and lifesaving needs of refugees and third-country nationals (TCNs) who fled the war in Ukraine. This will include the facilitation of appropriate solutions and support to vulnerable host communities.
UNHCR and partners are seeking USD $414.2 million to support a projected 1 million refugees that could potentially arrive in the Republic of Moldova by the end of the year. Since 24 February, more than 475,000 refugees have entered Moldova and over 90,000 of them, including TCNs, are currently in the country requiring mid to long-term support and solutions.
The RRP focuses on key sectors, including protection, basic needs, health and nutrition, education, livelihoods and inclusion, logistics, supply, and telecoms. Transitional cash assistance, which has already been provided to more than 54,000 refugees and 10,500 host families, is a key priority in providing dignified assistance to both communities.
“The government remains steadfast in its commitment to keep its borders open for all those fleeing the war in Ukraine and to facilitate border crossing and reception”, said Colonel Adrian Efros, head of the Government’s Single Crisis Management Centre. “But our capacity is overstretched, and we count on the international community to increase its support so that we can be more capacitated to continue to help refugees and vulnerable host communities”.
The plan is launched in the context of the continued fighting, massive destruction of civil infrastructure, and displacement inside Ukraine. One-third of the country’s population has been displaced, including 8 million people within the country and some 6.6 million refugee crossings to neighboring countries.
Francesca Bonelli, UNHCR Representative in the Republic of Moldova, thanked the people and the government of Moldova for their continued support and outstanding hospitality to refugees. “A significant part of the inter-agency response will be geared to support the Government’s response capacity as well as Moldovan communities and people that have given tremendous support in terms of hosting, providing emergency support and food to arriving refugees”, she said, adding that the vulnerability of refugees is increasing and that nearly all of them need humanitarian assistance.
The promotion of resilience, livelihoods, and socioeconomic inclusion of refugees is a key aspect of the plan including through the upgrade of local services, provision of socioeconomic integration support, job placement services, information, vocational training, validation, and certification of skills, as well as in-kind micro-grants for self-employment and small businesses.
Under the leadership of the government, the RRP brings together the efforts of 40 organizations including UN agencies, national and international NGOs, faith-based institutions, and civil society. To date, 27% of the RRP is funded, but more support is needed.
For additional information, please contact:
Kisut Gebreegziabher
Communicatios Officer & Spokesperson
UNHCR Moldova
Mobile: +37367722468
WhatsApp: +254712856340
Data portal – Moldova inter-agency response
https://data2.unhcr.org/en/country/mda
UNHCR Help Page: https://bit.ly/3tSmk3G
UNHCR Handover 21 field vehicles to support Moldova’s response to the refugee emergency from Ukraine.
Chisinau, Moldova, 12 April 2022: – UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, today handed over 21 field vehicles to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Moldova (MIA) to support the government’s response to the refugee emergency from Ukraine.
Since the start of the refugee crisis in Ukraine due to the ongoing armed conflict, the Moldovan Border Police has mobilized about 1,500 employees, to ensure the security of the state border and also for the efficient management of the massive refugee inflows. It has made adjustments in its legislative framework to ensure border crossing points operate non-stop with maximum use of its infrastructure.
Worth over half a million US dollars, the vehicles will be used by the country’s border police to strengthen their mobility and increase the monitoring capacity.
“The government has significantly upgraded its capacity to process border crossings and facilitated the entry into the country of over 400,000 new arrivals from Ukraine in just six weeks”, said Francesca Bonelli, the UNHCR Representative in the Republic of Moldova. “We believe these vehicles will further enhance the border police’s mobility between the different entry points to facilitate the continuing border crossings from Ukraine.”
„Thank you for the support offered to the MIA and the refugees who come to Moldova, fleeing the war. This donation will strengthen our ability to monitor border security more efficiently. We are in a difficult period, full of daily challenges, but through joint efforts, we manage to ensure security to the citizens”, mentioned Ana Revenco, the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Moldova.
UNHCR is bolstering its capacity in Moldova, extending international support to the refugees, and providing much-needed humanitarian supplies through the government of the Republic of Moldova.
As of 11 April, over 413,000 refugees from Ukraine entered Moldova. The majority have moved on to other European countries, with some 96,000 still generously hosted in the country.
UNHCR cash assistance helps refugees from Ukraine make ends meet, while boosting the local economy
Chisinau, Moldova-Wednesday 23 February was a day like any other in Ukraine’s Mariupol city. Liudmila Prodous, a resident of the port city traveled to Odesa, on the border with Moldova, to attend a workshop. She brought with her Veronica, her only child, to see places.
The next day, the two heard the news on TV of the just erupted war at their hotel room in Odesa, triggering a frantic phone call back home.
“My mother told me that there was a lot of shelling and that the city was in turmoil. She told me that gas, power, and water systems were all off and that the temperature had dropped to -6 degrees Celsius”, said the 35-year-old lawyer, her eyes filled with tears.
At first, she thought of going back to Mariupol to join her family, but she quickly realized that she could not dare put her nine-year-old daughter in danger. Two weeks later, they left Ukraine.
“I did not have any option but to cross over to Moldova”, she said, adding that they were warmly welcomed at the border and accommodated in Chisinau.
Victoria Tytarenko fled Mykolaiv with her six-year-old son after two rockets hit a building next to theirs, blowing up the windows of their apartment.
“I thought it was a thunderstorm, but my husband, who had served in the military, recognized what it was and told me that the war had started,” the 26-year-old said. She fled together with her mother, her son, her sister, and her nephew, while her husband remained behind. They were all accommodated at the MoldExpo refugee accommodation centre in Chisinau, Moldova.
The MoldExpo also hosts one of the eight UNHCR cash enrolment centres in the country, where refugees from Ukraine can register to receive cash assistance.
Liudmila and Victoria are among more than 30,000 people who have registered for the UNHCR cash assistance and received a prepaid card that they will be able to use in shops and ATMs, giving them the wherewithal to spend on some of their most urgent needs.
“Thanks to the support I can now buy my son his favourite food”, said Victoria, adding, “He has lost his appetite as he misses his father”.
Liudmila, on the other hand, says she would send part of the money to her parents and grandparents back home.
“My daughter and I have received a total of 4,400 MDL. I will convert some of it into a hard currency and send it to my family in Ukraine who have literally nothing to survive on”. Liudmila wants to buy food and clothes for Veronica and to add credit to her mobile with what’s left in order to be able to make phone calls.
UNHCR rolled out the cash programme in Moldova on 25 March, aiming to help refugees from Ukraine cover their most urgent needs and give them the opportunity to buy items and services that they need.
“The assistance primarily benefits the refugees, giving them the freedom to decide on which of their needs to prioritize”, says Francesca Bonelli, the UNHCR Representative in the Republic of Moldova. “But it also helps boost the local economy as we are injecting $45 million into the local market”.
Every refugee receives 2,200 MDL ($120) per month, and UNHCR seeks to reach some 150,000 vulnerable refugees in Moldova with cash grants.
There are two centers in Chisinau and six centers in other districts, enrolling refugees who have applied for cash assistance through an online form posted on the UNHCR Help page. In addition, mobile teams are enrolling refugees that live far away from the centers.
Victoria wants to stay in Moldova to be able to go back home as soon as the war ends. Liudmila, on the other hand, is vacillating between two thoughts.
“One side of me tells me to go to another country where I can work and support my parents and grandparents while my other side wants to stay close by so that I can quickly return to take care of my vulnerable parents and grandparents.”
(Yulia Fedorenko has contributed to this story)
UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner lauds solidarity of Romania and the Republic of Moldova towards Ukrainian refugees
09 April 2022, Chisinau Concluding a week-long visit to Romania and the Republic of Moldova, Raouf Mazou expressed his appreciation for the remarkable solidarity displayed in both countries towards people fleeing Ukraine.
“In the past days, I have witnessed first-hand the generosity that has thus far characterized the response to the arrival of refugees from Ukraine,” Mazou said at the conclusion of his visit. “We must all express our deep appreciation to the governments and the people of both Romania and the Republic of Moldova for opening their hearts and their homes to those in need, in these very difficult times.”
At a meeting with Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă in Romania, the Assistant High Commissioner commended the robust emergency response at borders and inside the country, which has so far received some 650,000 refugees. He acknowledged the rapid action taken by the Romanian government to ensure access to rights and services through temporary protection, as well as the strong coordination of the overall national response by the National Emergency Cell.
National authorities have ensured swift access to territory, assistance and onward safe transportation. Visiting the joint UNHCR-UNICEF Blue Dots in Isaccea and Siret, Mazou witnessed the coordination between national NGOs and the authorities as they provide information and identify vulnerable refugees, including unaccompanied and separated children, for referral to protection structures.
On 7 April, Mazou observed the Palanca border crossing point, one of the busiest crossing points into Moldova from Ukraine. Earlier in the week, while in Romania, he visited the Transit Centre in Husi, to which over 7,000 refugees coming from Palanca had been transferred as a result of close cooperation between the two governments and with the support of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the International Organization for Migration.
Since the onset of the conflict, over 400,000 refugees have crossed into Moldova. Tens of thousands have been assisted to travel onwards to other countries, including through pledges made by EU countries to welcome refugees from Moldova. “The pledges made by European countries to transfer refugees from Moldova to their territory is an effort to share responsibility and ease pressure on receiving countries, as emphasized in the Global Compact on Refugees,” said Mazou.
Mazou also visited the MoldExpo in Chișinău, which is operating as an accommodation facility, a Blue Dot and a cash enrolment centre. Cash enrolments in Moldova are rapidly increasing since the programme was launched at the end of March. In collaboration with the government and the World Food Programme, the aim is to provide cash to some 150,000 people, as well as to Moldovan host families who have opened their homes to refugees fleeing Ukraine.
The need to strengthen existing national systems to enable them to respond to the needs of refugees and host communities is essential, particularly given the scale of this crisis, as was discussed with Sergiu Odainic, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Moldova. Following an initial three-month period, refugees should be able to access national support mechanisms, thus avoiding the need for parallel systems.
“The whole-of-society mobilization and solidarity which I have seen during my visit – from government to civil society to volunteers – has been truly humbling. We have to ensure that it reaches all refugees, irrespective of where they are fleeing from,” said Mazou.
Media contacts:
- In Romania, Gabriela Leu, [email protected], +40 722 212097
- In Moldova, Kisut Gebre Egziabher, [email protected], +37 367 722 468, Whatsapp: +254 712 856 340
- In Geneva, Matthew Saltmarsh, [email protected], +41 79 967 99 36
UNHCR, WFP and the Government of the Republic of Moldova announce cash assistance for refugees fleeing Ukraine and host families in Moldova
Chisinau, Moldova – UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Government of the Republic of Moldova, today announced that cash will soon be provided to both refugees fleeing Ukraine and families hosting them in Moldova. It follows an initial small scale cash distribution from UNHCR in February.
Cash will be distributed electronically, using a prepaid card scheme set up in collaboration with Moldova’s largest bank, maib. UNHCR’s local partners CRS / Caritas Moldova, ensure enrolment using an innovative PRIMES system to collect biodata, in line with Government practice. This will ensure that cash grants are distributed efficiently and without duplication.
Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Natalia Gavrilița said “Refugees are arriving in Moldova with little more than the clothes they are wearing and the few items they could carry. It is important that UNHCR and other humanitarian agencies provide cash to help them meet their immediate needs. We appreciate that similar support is being extended to vulnerable Moldovan families who have generously opened their homes to the refugees”.
UNHCR Representative in Moldova, Francesca Bonelli, said “The government and people of Moldova have shown extraordinary solidarity in welcoming unprecedented numbers of refugees into their country and into their homes in the past weeks. When people are forced to flee their homes, they leave with the bare essentials, losing their ability to earn and spend in the process. Providing immediate cash assistance to refugees and to their Moldovan hosts is an absolute priority.”
Moldovan Minister of Labour and Social Protection, Marcel Spatari said “Our borders remain open for all those who need to access our territory, but more support must continue to reach all those in need”.
WFP Head of Office in Moldova, Cesar Arroyo explained that, “providing cash is an ideal way for affected families to buy the items that they need, when they need them. There is a positive secondary impact too when the cash is spent in Moldovan shops, supporting the local economy.”
Provision of cash assistance is a collaborative effort led by the Government, and supported by UNHCR, WFP, IOM, UNICEF, NGOs and other actors.
UNHCR has been providing cash support for refugees in many countries hosting refugees around the world. This type of support offers dignity of choice in meeting needs, while facilitating inclusion, and boosting local economies. It is currently being rolled out in several countries hosting refugees fleeing from Ukraine. Cash distribution is also closely aligned with the objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees in terms of easing pressure on host communities and enhancing refugee self-reliance.
WFP provides cash support to empower families with choice to address their essential needs in local markets, while also helping boost those markets. In 2021, WFP transferred US$ 2.3 billion of purchasing power to 41.8 million people in 69 countries. Where markets and financial sectors are functioning, as is the case in Moldova, cash transfers can be an effective path to achieve food security and nutrition outcomes.
For more information, please contact:
UNHCR:
- In Chisinau: Kisut Gebreegziabher, [email protected], cell: +37367722468, +254712856340 (WhatsApp)
WFP:
- In Chisinau: Edward JOHNSON, Email: [email protected], Tel: +373 60865806