Minister of Internal Affairs Ana Revenco participated at the ‘High Commissioner’s Dialogue on Protection Challenges – Development Cooperation 2022’ event. During her speech, the Minister shared the experience of the Republic of Moldova in welcoming and safely integrating the Ukrainian refugees. At the same time, the Minister expressed the need for continuous commitment of the international community to support Moldova in strengthening national systems and services to facilitate effective and safe socio-economic inclusion for refugees and affected local communities.
The Republic of Moldova remains fully committed to supporting and including refugees. Effective management of all aspects of the crisis – humanitarian and security – is essential. 10 months of extensive efforts by the Government of the Republic of Moldova have demonstrated that effective management means a holistic approach that goes beyond traditional support for refugees and communities. It must ensure their protection and security, prevention and control of factors that might jeopardise their security, effective tackling of illegal acts directly or indirectly related to their status as persons or communities in need.
The Minister has called for continued support to strengthen our systems and enable refugees and affected communities to access rights, documents and services in a safe and secure environment, given the significant costs that cannot be assumed solely by the Republic of Moldova.
Later, the Minister had a bilateral meeting with Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The officials discussed the current situation in the Republic of Moldova, where overlapping crises are putting a strain on the authorities. Refugee protection depends on Moldova’s resilience to crises, so protection means security and safety.
Commissioner Grandi appreciated the courage, determination and the way Moldova has responded to this crisis, as well as the openness with which citizens have welcomed refugees into their homes. The Commissioner also said that he understands the need for security, including cohesion.
It should be noted that there are currently more than 86 thousand refugees on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, of which more than 43 thousand are children.
