Attachments
27 August – 2 September 2022
Highlights
Winterization: As autumn and winter approach, UNHCR - in coordination with national authorities and partners - is planning to support refugees from Ukraine through tailored activities including distribution of core-relief items (CRIs) such as blankets and winter clothes, enhancing shelter solutions, and reinforcing UNHCR’s cash assistance for those more in need. UNHCR and partners are prepositioning humanitarian aid to assist initially 20,000 refugees from Ukraine during winter.
UNHCR’s response
Delivering of CRIs: On 31 August, UNHCR in Romania shipped humanitarian aid to UNHCR Ukraine, as part of the regional UNHCR regular support. Over 2,700 solar lamps, 2,200 kitchen sets, and 2,560 tarpaulins left UNHCR’s warehouse in Bucharest to Ukraine.
Cash Assistance: UNHCR is conducting a post distribution monitoring (PDM) exercise in Romania to assess needs of refugees and how cash contributions are spent. Results of the PDM will be available in the coming weeks. Since the onset of the emergency, UNHCR in Romania enrolled 17,213 refugees from Ukraine and already disbursed assistance to 16,299 individuals. This week, UNHCR further enhanced its protection capacity through trainings to 20 enrollers to its cash programme, particularly to identify protection issues that need referrals to specialised services.
Communicating with Communities: UNHCR continues to share protection information with refugees from Ukraine in Romania by counselling them through hotlines, posting information in the UNHCR Romania Help page and by ensuring outreach using a dedicated Telegram channel. In Telegram, UNHCR is posting relevant information for refugees twice a week in Ukrainian, Russian and English.
Field Presence: As part of UNHCR’s regular protection work, the field unit in Iasi - in coordination with the municipality, EUAA and GII - organized a focus group discussion with the heads of refugee families in Pașcani (located in northern Romania) to assess their needs and adjust the response. UNHCR field office in Suceava provided 178 families (over 500 individuals) with hygiene kits in Maramures and Satu Mare counties.
Inclusion: UNHCR, along with researchers from university centres in Bucharest, Cluj and Sibiu, is participating to the Arab Culture Festival in Sibiu during 2-4 September. At the event, and as regional good practice to foster refugee inclusion, UNHCR highlighted the Government of Romania’s adoption of the National Plan of Measures for Protection and Inclusion of refugees from Ukraine. This will enable refugees to contribute to all aspects of the social and economic life or Romania - leading to sustained social harmony.