The first flight of the Ukrainian refugees will depart from Moldova, running towards the European Union Member States.
The initiative was taken under the surveillance of the EU and the Member States, that has been highly applauded by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM)
On March 22, the UNHCR issued a statement. It announced the collaboration of the IOM, the European Commission, and the other EU member states to help the vulnerable refugees in Moldova transfer them to EU member countries.
UNHCR is in regular touch with all the Ukrainian refugees informing them that the host countries are waiting to house them.
Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, UNHCR’s Representative for EU Affairs, indicated that UNHR is thankful for the initiative that has been taken under good faith to help the Ukrainian refugees residing in the Republic of Moldova.
Also, IOM is providing a safe and regular movement for all departures by providing pre-departure information, Personal Protective Equipment (PEE), baggage handling, land transfer and airport assistance.
In addition, the European Commission has established a Solidarity Forum to support the EU Member States and relevant countries in sharing responsibility for the reception of Ukrainian refugees in the context of the Temporary Security Directive.
Austria also volunteered in the campaign and promised to launch a pilot project and shelter 2,000 refugees with specific protection needs as part of the Solidarity Platform.
In this regard, IOM Chief of Mission in Moldova, Lars Johan Lönnback, congratulated the Austrian Government on Starting Movement for Vulnerable Ukrainian Refugees.
Organisations have praised the expression of solidarity, easing pressure on Moldova as national capacities become increasingly strained while offering solutions to the most vulnerable refugees fleeing Ukraine.
So far, Moldova has counted more than 370,000 Ukrainian refugees who have arrived on its territory since the beginning of the war.
