THE INVOLVEMENT OF STATE AND NON-STATE ACTORS IN MANAGING THE REFUGEE CRISIS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE WAR IN UKRAINE

Abstract

The Republic of Moldova faced one of the largest waves of refugees per capita in Europe with the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in February 2022. Since the beginning of the military conflict, more than 750,000 people from Ukraine have entered the Republic of Moldova. This impressive number of Ukrainian refugees included mainly women, children and the elderly, who needed increased social protection and assistance.

In the context of the new conditions, the Republic of Moldova had to adapt to the new realities rapidly. Our country offered shelter to thousands of refugees, at the same time continuing to protect its own citizens, etc. All these challenges were taking place against the background of tensions caused by the pandemic and the energy crisis. State and non-state actors (international organizations, civil society organizations, ordinary citizens) – all mobilized, including voluntarily, to support the authorities to cope with the large flow of refugees. The grassroots actions of state and non-state actors were essential, emerging from the need to intervene as soon as possible.

In this article we propose to analyze the role of the involvement of the main state and non-state actors in managing refugee crisis in the context of the war in Ukraine. We insisted on presenting not only the results and the basic areas on which certain actions have been taken, but also to highlight some challenges and recommendations that should be taken into account.