More than 3,800 refugees from Ukraine have benefited from legal assistance and more than 1,300 people from the host communities have strengthened their knowledge of human rights and access to justice. At the same time, a network of 25 Ukrainian refugee community activists in the Republic of Moldova provided legal support to their peers and offered advice for better integration. These are some of the results of the project "Enhancing access to justice for living in dignity", implemented by UNDP Moldova, in partnership with the Law Center of Advocates (CDA), with the financial support of Germany. Achievements as well as lessons learned over the past 10 months were discussed on 12 April 2024 at a roundtable.

The Law Center of Advocates established partnerships with local NGOs in Soroca, Bălți, Comrat, Căușeni, Cahul. "Local NGOs and the network of Ukrainian activists contribute to strengthening social cohesion within host communities and ensuring a better understanding of rights, responsibilities and protection mechanisms available at national level," says Victoria Muntean, project manager at UNDP Moldova.

Also, in the framework of the project, more than 30,000 guides and 5,000 leaflets containing useful information for refugees, such as the temporary protection mechanism, access to healthcare, employment, right to education, residence regime on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, prevention and fight against discrimination, were developed and disseminated.

"The project was important not only for information and integration, but also for communication, establishing a closer relationship between members of the Ukrainian and host communities," said Irina Tsyrkunova, representative of the Ukrainian network.

"The project activities offered us support, as well as more safety, hope for tomorrow. Now we know how to claim our rights and we can guide fellow Ukrainians how to do so," said Raisa Tonkoglaz, another representative of the Ukrainian community.

At the same time, under the project "Enhancing access to justice for living in dignity", 5 mobile teams were created and operational in 9 districts, providing support to 1008 women and girls from host communities and refugee groups to access multidisciplinary support on gender-based violence.