UNHCR's partner Artscape created an exhibition of toys made by Ukrainian children © Ilmė Vyšniauskaitė / Artscape
VILNIUS Today, UNHCR and partners in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Security and Labour will launch the Lithuanian chapter of the RRP in Vilnius.
As we approach two years since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began, millions of people, both in Ukraine, and those who fled across the region, continue to need support. Many of them hope to return to Ukraine one day, but just 14 per cent plan to do so soon.
The Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP), launched globally on the 15 January in Geneva, in support of countries in close neighborhood to Ukraine, covers activities from January to December 2024. The RRP outlines the key strategic priorities that humanitarian actors will pursue to provide assistance to refugees, if given the financial means to do so. The activities are aligned with and supportive of the host Governments’ response.
The Lithuanian RRP chapter provides a description of refugees’ needs and sets out how UNHCR and its partners intend to support the Government response, to address the needs. UNHCR and partners are seeking a total of USD 15.5 million to assist 65,000 refugees in Lithuania. The RRP activities focus on protection, basic needs, cash assistance and inclusion, mainly of vulnerable refugees.
“UNHCR recognizes the remarkable and generous hosting of the Ukrainian refugees that the government has undertaken. As in any refugee situation, there will always be those who are more vulnerable and in need of assistance than others. Therefore, this plan targets the needs of these refugees,” UNHCR’s Representative in the Nordic and Baltic Countries, Annika Sandlund, says.
Lithuania has generously hosted Ukrainian refugees for almost two years. In 2023, RRP partners in Lithuania reached 25,788 refugees with support and protection services. Refugees were provided with cash assistance, benefitted from rental assistance, outreach protection activities, legal assistance, psychosocial support, integration services and language training.
“Our Lithuanian government has encountered an unprecedented migration crisis, a challenge that continues to test our collective strength. It necessitated swift adaptation and mobilization from various quarters – the government, different institutions, NGOs, and our society at large. I am proud to say that Lithuanian society rose to the occasion admirably, demonstrating remarkable resilience. While we appreciate the progress made, we recognize that there is still much work ahead. This success has been a collective effort, and we emphasize the importance of continuing to work together with such partners as UNHCR and Lithuanian NGOs to navigate the challenges that lie ahead,” Vice-Minister of Social Security and Labour Justina Jakštiene, says.
In 2023, the EU, the US, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, the Holy See – Vatican, and Sweden contributed with important financial support to RRP partners in Lithuania and provided funds to assist with basic needs and inclusion of refugees from Ukraine in Lithuania. “I thank all donors who help Lithuanian organizations with providing additional important support to refugees from Ukraine”, says Annika Sandlund. “This year we extend our funding call to donors in the private sector in Lithuania and call also on them to contribute with their financial support to NGOs and refugee led organizations in Lithuania. Today’s challenge is to ensure that we invest in the human capital that refugees have so that they can contribute to the society they live in today and help rebuild Ukraine when they are able to return”.
The RRP serves as an effective channel for more predictable and equitable responsibility-sharing, to ease the pressure on the host community and foster social cohesion while overall complementing and supporting the government-led responses. Participating in the plan or appealing through it does not guarantee funding. The RRP is a coordination mechanism, aimed at ensuring complementarity of action with the government response, responding to the needs on the ground as evidenced through multi-sector needs analyses. By appealing in the RRP, agencies working on the response coordinate with each other and are able to provide the government and donors with an overview of who-does-what-where, the financial costs of the response and an outline of each agency’s activities. The government is in charge of the overall response.
Click here to read more about the RRP and UNHCR’s work in Lithuania.
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