Issues related to the adaptation and integration of refugees and displaced persons were discussed at the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee

March 11, 2025

A working meeting was held between Erol Arduç, Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Belarus, and the regional leadership, heads of regional services, and the regional organization of the Belarusian Red Cross. During the discussion, bottlenecks in working with refugees and displaced persons requiring assistance from international organizations were identified.

Last year alone, over 500 citizens of Ukraine sought assistance from the regional Red Cross organization, as informed by its chairperson, Galina Zhelanova. Financial support amounting to 98,588 rubles was provided to 269 displaced persons. They most need assistance with housing, specifically in finding accommodation and covering monthly rent. However, while previously payments were made through the UNHCR office in Belarus via the regional Red Cross organization, they have not been disbursed for the past two years. The situation is further complicated by the unfinished construction of a crisis center under the organization's auspices, which previously helped resolve the most pressing housing issues for refugees and migrants. In this regard, the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee has appealed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic with a request for assistance from interested international organizations, particularly the UNHCR, in this matter.

Another set of issues relates to the planned medical treatment of displaced persons and refugees, as well as reimbursement for the cost of medications for ongoing treatment. A mechanism for interaction with healthcare institutions and "Pharmatsiya" in this area was established at one time, and the issue was resolved by the regional Red Cross organization with the support of the UNHCR in Belarus. It is hoped that this practice will be resumed for the sake of people who were involuntarily forced to leave their homeland.

Erol Arduç shared plans aimed at cooperation with government bodies and public organizations of the Vitebsk region. In particular, he spoke about the intention to create a unified office that will operate on the "one-stop shop" principle.

- This is a very important issue – joint work with the UNHCR Representation in Belarus, – said Vyacheslav Durnov, Deputy Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee. – We have a well-established and structured system, it is interdepartmental, involving social protection, education, healthcare, migration services, and the Red Cross. We have been working as a well-coordinated team for a long time, because the first refugees from Ukraine began to arrive here back in 2014. However, despite the established mechanism, there are exceptional, individual cases when a person needs, for example, to confirm documents or work experience for a pension. It is difficult to help in such cases because we do not have direct contact with the state structures of Ukraine, and the support of an international organization is important and relevant here.

vitebsk-region.gov.by