What Polish cities need to continue supporting Ukraine?

Poland is expected to welcome the highest number of war refugees than any other country in the world. Local communities were the first to take action when the crisis begаn

On the occasion of 31 days of war in neighbouring Ukraine, Polish cities issued a report, outlining the main facts and figures, as well as their urgent needs, so they can continue taking care of the growing number of refugees. The document is commissioned by Tak! Dla Polski (local government movement, the name of which translates as “Yes for Poland”).

It recognizes the achievements and the main actors who made the accommodation of refugees in Poland possible, calls on the government to end improvisations and adopt a structured and consultative approach to the matter.

Time for a structured, top-down management of the Ukraine refugee influx

The Russian invasion in Ukraine started a month ago, taking everyone by surprise. And while central governments were slow to react, local communities and cities were much quicker to rise to the challenge. As TheMayor.EU reported, their actions ranged from symbolically showing support, through political declarations to offering humanitarian aid, refuge and care to Ukrainians fleeing their war-torn country.

The latter seems to be the most pressing issue for Polish communities, which are the nearest safe haven for fleeing Ukrainians. According to the report, the country has already welcomed almost 3 million people and literally all municipalities have participated in the massive effort.

So far, this process has been organised as hundreds of separate actions – coordinated by local governments, volunteers, non-profits and businesses. Now, as the refugee influx is taking such considerable proportions, time has come for a more organised process, managed at the national level and based on knowledge, as Polish cities demand.

“We appeal to the government to create a system of voluntary relocation of refugees and to organize a round table with the participation of the government, international organizations, local governments and NGOs. Let's work out a strategy together. The time for improvisation is over!” appealed the president of Warsaw and head of the Political Council of Yes Rafał Trzaskowski, quoted on the city website.

Said roundtable should gather international organizations experienced in refugee crises management, as well as associations co-led by Ukrainians who had moved to Poland before the war. All parties should take equal part in the process, and not act as consultancies to fill the gaps of the central government, the document reads.

The Yes movement also calls on the government to ask the European Commission for help and to launch new budget lines to support refugees and to transfer them through regional programs. Such funds are urgently needed, as so far, local authorities have had to improvise with local budgets, cutting down on other expenses to finance support actions. This, however, is no longer an option.

For more insights and to check out the summary of the first month of Polish-Ukraine support, check out the report here (in Polish).