Project Summary:

The overall objective of the project is to lay the foundation for a solid engagement in the area of rule of law, justice, security and human rights that responds to immediate needs and also addresses longer-term purposes. The intervention is built on a two-pronged approach under the overall governance, rule-of-law, security and human-rights dimension, while strengthening systems and making efforts to mainstream the needs of refugees and host communities, reinforcing the humanitarian-development approach and supporting community preparedness for any future refugee movements to Moldova.

UNDP will support national and local governments to address the development impacts of the crisis and help bring a resilience approach to the humanitarian refugee response, thus contributing to the consolidation of the humanitarian-development nexus and adding a longer-term perspective to the national discourse on the length and scope of the current influx of refugees.

Objectives:

• National legal aid system is enabled to provide a tailored refugee response;

• Local capacities for the provision of gender based-violence (GBV) related services enhanced.

Expected results:

• Rapid assessment of the legal aid system's capacities to respond to refugees' and host communities' needs conducted;

• Rapid assessment of the needs of refugees and asylum seekers in the field of access to legal and other public services conducted;
• Robust legal needs assessment exercise for improved of planning and programming for the delivery of legal aid services to affected groups and host communities across the country implemented;
• Paralegals' training programme and materials to reflect the refugees related aspects revised and paralegals knowledge on refugees' rights and services available to them at local and national levels strengthened;
• Paralegals to provide legal empowerment and support services to refugees, asylum seekers and host communities, with due consideration to GBV aspects enrolled and trained;
• Access to legal information, remedies and support through the existing e-platform for refugee support (dopomoga.gov.md) and legal aid app promoted;
• Capacities of justice and law-enforcement agents (up to 100 participants) on protection of rights of refugees, including on unconscious biases and non- discrimination practices developed;
• Rapid capacity assessment of targeted local public administrations (2 districts) conducted;
• Capacity development for the local administrations' staff (up to 20 persons) on the provision of GBV related services ensured;
• Mobile teams in the selected areas consolidated and operationalised, as following:
• 600 refugees benefiting from primary legal aid services, provided by the Mobile Team professionals;

1. 100 persons assisted in GBV related cases;
2. 20 persons employed;
3. 30 villages visited twice during a period of 10 months.

Accomplishments:

• 60 local authorities’ representatives enhanced their knowledge and understanding of the phenomenon of domestic violence, mechanisms for providing assistance and protection to survivors of domestic, as well as approach in providing counselling to refugees;
• Paralegal's training curriculum supplemented with a particular module addressing the refugees, asylum seekers and host communities' rights and uploaded to the online learning platform https://mlearn.gov.md/;
• 42 paralegals members of the National Association of Paralegals from Moldova enhanced their knowledge about the entry and exit regime of refugees on/from the territory of the Republic of Moldova, applying for the refugee status in the Republic of Moldova, access to healthcare, from primary to specialized, as well as specific for vulnerable categories and other aspects relevant for the provision of primary legal aid in crisis situations;
• 16 newly enrolled paralegals developed their skills in interacting with vulnerable people, including refugees, respecting the principles of equality and non-discrimination and contributing to the identification of needs and ways of prompt assistance;
• 465 Ukrainian refugees benefitting from primary legal aid services;
• The concept of the training programme on protection of rights of refugees for the law-enforcement actors developed;
• 136 justice professionals trained on the protection of rights of refugees;
• Rapid assessment of the legal aid system's capacities to respond to refugees' and host communities' needs conducted;
• Rapid assessment of the needs of refugees and asylum seekers in the field of access to legal support and other public services carried out;
• Robust legal needs assessment exercise for improved planning and programming for the delivery of legal aid services carried out;
• Two Mobile Teams (in Edineț and Căușeni) were created and are fully functional;
• During July 2022 – May 2023, the Mobile Teams assisted 598 beneficiaries, out of which: 315 refugee women and 283 women from vulnerable groups, including 128 survivors and potential survivors of GBV;
• 341 beneficiaries, out of which 313 refugee women and 28 survivors of GBV received juridical services through the Mobile Team intervention;
• 178 beneficiaries, out of which 85 refugee women and 85 women from vulnerable groups, including survivors of GBV received psychological support;
• 234 beneficiaries, out of which 112 refugee women and 122 women from vulnerable groups, including survivors of GBV, were helped to solve their social and administrative issues.