The Russian Red Cross (RRC) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will work together to provide assistance to displaced persons from Donbass. The agreement was signed by Pavel Savchuk, President of the Russian Red Cross, and Karim Atassi, acting Head of the UNHCR Office in the Russian Federation.
"The long-standing cooperation with UNHCR is highly valued by the Russian Red Cross. It is especially important now, when the humanitarian situation with refugees from Donbass remains difficult. We are grateful for additional assistance that our colleagues are willing to provide. By working together, we will be able to help displaced persons more effectively, provide them with food and basic necessities, and render psychosocial support to those in need," said Pavel Savchuk.
The agreement provides assistance to displaced persons who are presently located in temporary accommodation points in the Kursk, Vladimir, Volgograd, and Lipetsk regions of Russia.
"In these difficult times, solidarity, generosity and compassion for people, who have to leave their homes and family members behind, are critical and needed more than ever. It is our duty as the UN Refugee Agency to support our partners who are on the front lines of the humanitarian response to this crisis, such as the Russian Red Cross, and to strengthen their ability to provide assistance on the ground," stressed Karim Atassi.
The collaboration will include the purchase and delivery of hygienic products, household appliances, food and pharmacy vouchers in late March and early April 2022. Two RRC monitoring missions will be sent to each region from April to November to observe the progress of the project.
The capacity of the RRC regional branches in the areas of work with displaced persons and psychosocial support (PSS) will also be enhanced. To this end, the Russian Red Cross will organize trainings to improve skills of volunteers and staff in psychosocial support and to teach them how to act in emergency settings.
Altogether, 66 regional branches of the Russian Red Cross are involved in assisting refugees. Some 170 RRC experts provide psychosocial support in temporary accommodation points. There are 121 points of reception of humanitarian aid in 47 regions supported by regional branches of the Russian Red Cross. In addition, there are 102 points of distribution of humanitarian aid in the RRC branches, which also process private requests and meet the needs of displaced persons who do not live in TAPs.
The partnership agreement with the RRC is part of UNHCR's efforts to respond to the dramatic humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Given the scale of displacement, UNHCR, Russia has also mobilized other partner NPOs to provide legal assistance, counseling, and humanitarian aid to displaced persons.
