Attachments
Overview
Since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova has taken in the highest number of Ukrainian refugees per capita. The Government created and accredited more than 100 Refugee Accommodation Centers (RACs) throughout the country to accommodate refugees, primarily women and children. The remaining refugees were hosted in private accommodations or by relatives. In addition to the wave of refugees, social instability, disruptions in supply chains, rising inflation, and an extreme energy crisis, have severely aggravated the existing vulnerabilities of the country and affected its ability to support refugees and Moldovans. The scale and uncertain outlook of the current crisis and the potential new refugee influx place Moldova at risk of further economic and societal shocks.
To deliver life-saving assistance, WFP began operations in Moldova in March 2022 under the Limited Emergency Operation (LEO) for Ukraine and refugees-hosting countries. In September 2022, it launched the Transitional Interim Country Strategic Plan (T-ICSP 2022-2023) to continue to support the Government of Moldova emergency response, and strengthen its social protection capacities, in addition to providing common services to humanitarian partners in the country.
WFP contributed towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 (Zero Hunger) by reducing food insecurity of Moldovans and Ukrainian refugees and relieving the pressure on the national social protection system during unprecedented and multiple shocks. By enhancing the capacity of Moldova's national social protection system through new centralized and decentralized tools, WFP is also advancing the achievement of SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
During the T-ICSP period, supported by generous donor contributions, WFP reached 21,594 people (3,018 refugees and 18,576 Moldovans), including 1,571 persons with disabilities. It injected over USD 4.8 million into the local economy through cash-based transfers. WFP activities in Moldova layer humanitarian basic needs with the provision of long-term national support, reducing vulnerability and risks while stimulating social cohesion, thereby advancing the overall humanitarian-development-peace nexus. As the operation was launched in response to a volatile emergency, the planned beneficiaries were given a wide berth as a contingency measure. While the number of refugees arriving and staying in Moldova steadily rose over the course of the operation, they have not yet escalated on the scale envisaged, and thus WFP’s T-ICSP shows lower actual achievements.
As an endeavor to strengthen national capacities in the face of future crises, WFP supported the Government to upgrade the shock responsiveness of the social protection system to improve its inclusiveness and efficiency. WFP supported the development of the platform aid.md which will be used by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection (MLSP) to manage humanitarian assistance. WFP also trained social assistants who will use this platform. Building on its technical expertise, WFP assessed the capacity of locally run social canteens that cater to crisis-affected populations.
Monitoring results confirmed that WFP’s assistance was highly relevant to the humanitarian context. Provided in an inclusive and accountable manner, it improved people's access to food. WFP consulted communities on the arrangement of the assistance to ensure that they receive it in a safe and dignified manner. The agency paid particular attention to gender-based violence (GBV) risks mitigation. WFP’s complaint and feedback mechanism (including hotline, SMS service, social media messaging and regular field monitoring by WFP and partners) offered a gender-inclusive approach. WFP monitored gender inclusiveness through its monitoring activities by disaggregating the results by gender, age and disability status to ensure that the assistance advances gender equality.
WFP has demonstrated its role as a core partner and key enabler of Moldova's humanitarian response and resilience building in alignment with the country's national strategies and its United Nations Partnership Framework for Sustainable Development (2018-2022). Across all its activities, it worked closely with the Government, UN agencies, Non-Government Organizations, and the private sector. WFP strengthened nexus synergies by pursuing a transition from uniform emergency cash assistance targeted exclusively for refugees to differentiated types of assistance for vulnerable Moldovans, needs-driven and enhancing the Government’s social protection system. This also included joint efforts to establish an interagency contingency plan for Moldova's emergency preparedness and disaster management. Moving forward, WFP will continue to support Moldova for more sustainable planning and response that can provide sustainable opportunities for both Moldovans and refugees.