Ukraine (RRP)

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Executive Summary

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. ¹

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 end December, some 4.9 million people have registered for temporary protection² 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, multisector 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 risk 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.