Ukraine Situation Refugee Response: Role of Local and National NGOs
International Conference Center Geneva (CICG)
UNHCR, ICVA and the EU delegation to the United Nations in Geneva
Meeting
English
Localization
Ukraine Situation Refugee Response: Role of Local and National NGOs
The massive arrival of refugees from Ukraine triggered an unprecedented solidarity from host governments and communities. Under the overall leadership of the host governments, volunteers, local and national non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have served as first responders, at the frontline of the refugee response, to welcome and support refugees from Ukraine.
Drawing on an initial rapid assessment report commissioned by ICVA and UNHCR, this side event will focus on the role of national and local NGOs as frontline actors to support refugee responses. It will look at the evolution of the involvement of non-governmental organizations in the coordination mechanisms since the beginning of the response and formulate recommendations to the international community on how to strengthen engagement and support for local actors. The event is co-organized by UNHCR, ICVA and the EU delegation to the United Nations in Geneva.
Speakers:
Ms. Dominique Hyde, Director, Division of External Relations, UNHCR
Ms. Agnieszka Kosowicz, Director of the Board, Polish Migration Forum
Mr. Kyrylo Prykhodko, Program Coordinator, National Congress of Ukrainians of Moldova
Ms. Katarina Clifford, Counsellor, EU Delegation to the UN and other international organizations in Geneva
Mirela joined ICVA in 2019 as Director of Policy where she leads a policy team focusing on forced migration, humanitarian financing, and coordination.
As a human rights lawyer from Albania, she has 15 years of professional experience on humanitarian and development issues working for both NGOs and UN Agencies. She worked with UNICEF as advocacy coordinator on the rights of refugee and migrant children in Europe. Prior to UNICEF, Mirela served as global protection adviser for Terre des hommes, covering programmes aiming at preventing child exploitation, trafficking and other forms of violence against children. For few years she provided direct legal services to vulnerable families and Albanian children exploited or living in the streets of Albania and Greece.
She holds an LLM degree and has authored various publications on human rights and migration law.