Regional Office for Cross-border Co-operation Suceava for the Romania-Ukraine Border together with the international humanitarian organisation  ACTION CONTRE LA FAIM/ ACTION AGAINST HUNGER held a press conference in Bucharest on Friday, 26 August 2022, to present the results of a pilot project launched immediately after the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine. The conference took place in the conference room of the Ibis Styles Bucharest City Center Hotel and was intended to be part of a series of events organised in the week of the Ukrainian Independence Day celebrations.

The event was broadcast LIVE here https://www.facebook.com/brctsuceava/videos/456710453143542

The event reported on the direct financial support provided to over 1000 Ukrainian refugees as a result of the partnership between the Suceava Regional Office for Cross Border Co-operation and Action Against Hunger. The conference presented the results achieved, the scope of action and the tools used, in the presence of officials from Ukrainian Embassy in Romania and British Embassy in Romania.

Under the project so far, Over 1000 vulnerable people in Romania, Ukrainian refugees - single mothers with children, elderly, disabled, large families - received direct financial support for a period of three months, consisting of monthly payments of €115 per person. “The 400 „Up Cohesia” cards distributed in Romania have been replenished with a total amount of approximately 275.000 euro”, informed Mr Julien Anglade, general manager of Up Group.

„Since the very first days of the conflict, our organisation has been monitoring and actively involved in different activities - launching the first information portal for refugees or facilitating links between local partner institutions and organisations in cross-border projects in Romania and Ukraine, but the activities needed to continue and provide more support to people in need. This is how this project was born, through a new partnership for Romania, through a tool that had never been applied before in terms of the needs of refugees, with international support, so that we were able to distribute, with the help of our colleagues in border counties and beyond, cards that help to provide for daily needs”, said Mr Cezar Grozavu, Executive Director of BRCT Suceava.

“Activities in support of refugees from Ukraine will continue in the coming months through the same mechanisms with the support of local partners who will also benefit from capacity building. Over 1500 people in need have received specialised psychosocial support through mental health activities. In addition, two logistical centres which ensure the transfer of humanitarian aid throughout Ukraine received financial support for their operational activities.

During this intervention period, activities to support people affected by the crisis in Ukraine have been funded by the UK Government, said Claire Allard, Regional Food Security and Financial Instruments Officer at Action Against Hunger (Poland, Romania, Ukraine).

“The UK has provided considerable regional funding for operations in support of the refugee crisis in Poland, Moldova and, of course, Romania. It has also provided essential technical staff and ensured the humanitarian response by sending experts to the region, including Romania, by mobilising effective supply chains to provide the necessary resources.

The impact that this refugee crisis has had on Romania should not be underestimated, as it is one of the main recipients of refugees from Ukraine. Since 24 February, more than 1 million Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania, of which more than 84,000 are still here, this has required a large-scale response from the authorities,” said Tanya Collingridge, the British Deputy Ambassador to Bucharest.

The organisers aimed to build a picture of the humanitarian support mechanism for refugees in crisis situations by providing information about:  Donors -> International Humanitarian Organisations -> Partners -> Instruments -> Beneficiaries.

In addition to representatives of the partnership, the event was attended by, Mr Cezar Grozavu, Executive Director of BRCT Suceava and, Regional Food Security and Financial Instruments Referent at Action Against Hunger, Mrs Claire Allard representative of the Embassy of Ukraine in Romania, Ms Anna Honcharova - Secretary Economic Affairs, representative of the British Embassy in Romania, Deputy Ambassador Mrs Tanya Collingridge and representatives of the financial logistical partner Up Group, Mr Julien Anglade, General Manager Up Group , respectively Mrs Elena Pap, General Manager Up Romania.

Since the outbreak of the war, the Regional Office for Cross-Border Cooperation Suceava has been actively involved in activities of solidarity and assistance to those who arrived in Romania's border areas, facilitating the establishment of links between local partner institutions and organisations within the projects,cross-border programmes in Romania and Ukraine. Two new colleagues from among the Ukrainian refugees have been co-opted into the organisation's team and are intensively supporting activities on the ground.

Action Against Hunger is a non-governmental, non-profit, non-religious, global humanitarian organisation that has worked in over 50 countries over the last 40 years, responding to emergencies caused by military conflicts, natural disasters, chronic food insecurity and implementing long-term development and rehabilitation programmes. Action Against Hunger has been active in Romania since the beginning of the crisis in Ukraine in several key sectors.

For more details, please contact:

Bogdan TANASĂ - Head of Planning, Programming and Project Development Department

Regional Office for Cross-border Co-operation Suceava

Tel. 0751 222 309

E-mail: bogdan.tanasa@brctsuceava.ro