Europe
Poland
DRC established presence in Poland in early 2022 as part of its Ukraine crisis response. Based out of Warsaw, DRC is continuously developing its programmes to respond to acute needs and have launched emergency response activities at key locations across the country. These are primarily at border crossing points and in major refugee hosting cities where DRC and partners provide humanitarian assistance and support to Ukrainian refugees and the communities hosting them.
Displacement trends
Source: | UNHCR
Displacement Trends
Definitions
EDPs: Refugees under UNHCR’s mandate
IDPs: Internally displaced persons
Asylum seekers: People whose claims for refugee status have not yet been determined
Stateless: People not considered as nationals by any State
HST: People living in Host Communities
OIP: Others in need of International Protection
OOC: Others of Concern
Forecast
DRC forecasts are based on a machine learning tool that has been developed to predict forced displacement (IDPs, refugees and asylum seekers) at the national level 1-3 years into the future.
DocumentsAll Documents
Why we are there
Refugees in Poland are primarily Ukrainian women and children as well as elderly and other vulnerable groups.
They face a range of issues, from having needs related to mental health and psychosocial support, child protection, exploitation, legal aid related to understanding rights and obligations, land tenure, lost documents, curbing tensions with host communities, and premature returns to name but just a few.
Tenure security and risk of homelessness along with social cohesion are concerns, especially if displacement becomes protracted.
The massive exodus out of Ukraine has caused a series of legal needs that will likely increase with time, evolving around civil documentation – such as birth and death certificates, ID cards, pensions, child custody etc. - as well as Housing, Land and Property, and Education rights, which will influence return prospects.
What we do
As part of its response to the displacement and humanitarian needs in the region caused by the war in Ukraine, DRC supports displaced populations and the communities hosting them in Poland. This is done through partnership with national civil society and non-governmental organisations, duty bearers and other actors involved in the response.
DRC has forged partnerships with 15 local organisations and three municipalities for the implementation of emergency cash assistance, and to improve access to information, legal aid, and temporary shelter.
DRC supports partners in providing protection services to conflict-affected persons - this includes in particular legal aid and counselling, mental health and psychosocial support for adults and children, provision of critical information, running of child-friendly spaces, and referrals to relevant actors and institutions.
DRC is also working to enhance protection monitoring focusing on identifying and documenting risks affecting people seeking protection in Poland irrespective of the border they crossed.
To create awareness of the widespread contamination of land by unexploded ordnance, DRC offers Explosive Ordnance Risk Education sessions, one of the components in its Humanitarian, Disarmament & Peacebuilding sector.
Working in collaboration with
Contact
Helene
Lassen
Country Director for Poland, Moldova & Romania