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New UNHCR report proves: System change for Ukraine refugees in Austria is overdue

by Alexandra Hartman Editor-in-Chief
written by Alexandra Hartman Editor-in-Chief

2023-06-09 05:10:11

According to a UNHCR survey, more than a third of the refugees surveyed can hardly meet their basic needs.

Vienna (OTS) – More than a year following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the war continues unabated and many refugees from Ukraine are forced to start a new life away from home. In order to be able to gain a better foothold in Austria, a system change is urgently needed, as a survey published today by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR suggests.

The aim of the survey was to gain random insights into the current situation of refugees in Austria, into challenges and intentions to return. A total of 533 refugee households from Ukraine in Austria were surveyed online from January to March, enabling information to be collected from over 1,500 people.

While 42 percent of those surveyed still hope to be able to return home one day, only very few refugees (four percent) believe that they will return in the next three months. The report also shows very clearly that above all the insecure situation due to the war and the lack of access to basic services such as electricity, water and health care and the lack of job opportunities in Ukraine are preventing refugees from returning.

At the same time, refugees from Ukraine in Austria are in danger of slipping into poverty: more than a third of those surveyed (around 38 percent) stated in the survey that they might hardly cover their basic needs in Austria in the last three months. An alarming 17 percent were no longer able to meet their basic needs.

“The collected data show impressively that the course must finally be set in order to give the refugees from Ukraine in Austria longer-term perspectives. A system change is urgently needed for this,” says Christoph Pinter, Head of UNHCR Austria.

Without a doubt, the rapid admission and granting of temporary protection in the EU and Austria was the order of the day and the commitment of all actors in emergency aid was unprecedented. But now it is urgent to work on viable, long-term solutions.

The risk of poverty is currently exacerbated by the fact that refugees from Ukraine are in the so-called basic care system, which is actually designed for asylum seekers and for a short stay (for a privately living individual max. 425/month for rent and food).

A complicated calculation system and very low additional earnings make it difficult for many refugees who cannot immediately find a well-paid or full-time job to take up work. This initial situation is particularly difficult for mothers who have fled alone and often have small children.

“The refugees from Ukraine should have the opportunity to arrive in Austria both emotionally and economically. To do this, they need access to more rights and also a longer-term residence permit,” says Pinter.

Above all, consideration must be given to the large number of mothers and children who have fled alone and the high percentage of people with special needs (around 17 percent in the survey).

You can find the entire report here: https://www.unhcr.org/dach/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2023/06/Umfrage_Fluchtlinge_Ukraine.pdf.

Questions & contact:

UNHCR Austria
Mag.a Ruth Schöffl
+43/1 26060 5307
schoeffl@unhcr.org
www.unhcr.at

1686287988
#UNHCR #report #proves #System #change #Ukraine #refugees #Austria #overdue

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world

ARGE Cultural Diversity: For a fair, inclusive and anti-discriminatory cultural policy

by Alexandra Hartman Editor-in-Chief
written by Alexandra Hartman Editor-in-Chief

2023-06-07 08:49:07

Final Communiqué of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions published.

Vienna (OTS) – For the twelfth time, the members of the ARGE Cultural Diversity of the Austrian Commission for UNESCO have published a statement with cultural-political weight. The recommendations are trend-setting for cultural-political action and show how fair conditions can be created for everyone in the arts and culture sector and how participation can be more than a buzzword.

Selected recommendations:

  • Different forms of employment, project dependency, and a lack of planning security are typical of the realities of gainful employment in the arts and culture. Good social and economic safeguards must counteract these precarious realities. Culture is work – get out of poverty!
  • The arts and culture sector is no exception: Discrimination and abuse of power are structural problems. Selective “diversity” projects are not the solution. A long-term strengthening of diversity-sensitive transformation processes is essential and requires public funds, a broad discourse and the right framework conditions.
  • In emergency and crisis situations, it becomes apparent that the participation of civil society is indispensable for sustainable, practice-oriented cultural policy measures. Participation must neither be an end in itself nor a PR measure.

The statement is the result of the closed conference of the ARGE Cultural Diversity in March 2023 in Klagenfurt/Celovec, in which representatives of the sector dealt with central challenges of contemporary art and cultural policy at the invitation of the Austrian UNESCO Commission Implementation of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions in Austria. This international treaty obliges states, including Austria, to create conducive framework conditions for art and culture and thus enable a variety of artistic expression.

Overview of main topics:

  • Social and economic security for art and culture actors
  • Rights
  • artistic freedom
  • media diversity
  • cultural education
  • Art & culture in sustainable (regional) development
  • anti-discriminatory art and cultural policy
  • Promotion of international cultural exchange.

The entire document can be found here.

For almost 20 years, the ARGE Cultural Diversity has been supporting the implementation of the UNESCO Convention in Austria. As the national contact point for the UNESCO Convention, the Austrian UNESCO Commission ensures that civil society is involved in the implementation of the international treaty in Austria.

Questions & contact:

Claudia Isep, Contact Point for Cultural Diversity, Austria. UNESCO Commission
suck@unesco.at, +43 1 256 13 01

1686127862
#ARGE #Cultural #Diversity #fair #inclusive #antidiscriminatory #cultural #policy

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world

1 June: Republic of Moldova: 2nd Summit of the European Political Community in the EU candidate country

by Alexandra Hartman Editor-in-Chief
written by Alexandra Hartman Editor-in-Chief

2023-06-01 04:00:31

The EU perspective as an opportunity for crisis-ridden Moldova

With the prospect of joining the EU, Moldova offers opportunities for a better future. The weakest in the country must be taken along and the young people must be offered the prospect of staying in the country. In this way, we offer the government our many years of experience. And we take care of those who need it most

Bernhard Drumel, Managing Director CONCORDIA International

Vienna (OTS) – In June 2022, the EU granted the Republic of Moldova EU candidate status. Exactly one year later, the 2nd EU summit is taking place in the Republic of Moldova today. After a year full of tensions, fears and dramatic economic consequences for the Moldovan people.

Moldova is the poorest country in Europe next to Kosovo. Every third child in the country lives in poverty. One in five children has no access to clean drinking water. In rural areas, only 84% of households have a water supply and 77% have a sewage system. 59.9% have access to WASH facilities (bathroom and shower in the house) and only 40.4% have access to a gas network. (Data from the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection 2021) A lack of job prospects leads to an enormous brain drain, a decline in production, social pressure and the destruction of families. 35,000 Moldovan children are growing up in Moldova without their parents because they are forced to leave their country to earn money elsewhere to feed their children. Elderly people and children are left behind.

The pro-Western government under President Maia Sandu has been in office since 2020 and, in addition to the political legacy of her predecessors, had to deal with many problems at the same time in crisis mode right from the start. Measured by the number of inhabitants, Moldova has taken in more Ukrainian refugees than any other country. So far, 822,393 Ukrainian refugees have been admitted, at least temporarily. Of these, many have moved on, some have retreated, others are waiting near the border for the end of the war. Currently 108,889 people stayed in Moldova. (UNHCR Report) The solidarity shown with the Ukrainian neighbors and the Moldovan support is unprecedented. In a country where the majority of the population had to see for themselves how they were getting along before the followingmath of the war.

The government is hoping for further support from the EU summit to expand infrastructure, security and stability. In the run-up to the summit, the EU decided on Tuesday to almost double the financial aid it had pledged a year ago to 295 million euros for the Republic of Moldova.

CONCORDIA has been taking care of disadvantaged and abandoned children and young people in the country and supports Ukrainian refugees in Moldova with their emergency aid

As the largest aid organization in the Republic of Moldova, CONCORDIA played a special role from day 1 of the outbreak of war. Long before help arrived from specialized international humanitarian organizations, the CONCORDIA Team Moldova, together with its network of volunteers, was on duty at the Palanca border crossing between Moldova and Ukraine to help the thousands who crossed the border every day in the first days of the war and spent hours in had to endure the cold to provide relief supplies.

CONCORDIA Moldova also organized accommodation for children and their mothers, distributed countless food packages, provided psychological support, etc. In 2022, CONCORDIA helped 14,094 refugees in addition to particularly vulnerable Moldovan families as part of their emergency aid.

“With the prospect of joining the EU, Moldova offers opportunities for a better future. The weakest in the country must be taken along and the young people must be offered the prospect of staying in the country. In this way, we offer the government our many years of experience. And we take care of those who need it most“, Bernhard Drumel, Managing Director CONCORDIA International

Donation account CONCORDIA social projects IBAN: AT28 3200 0000 1318 7893 or online

Questions & contact:

CONCORDIA social projects
Catherine Wagner
+43 676 3011916
katharina.wagner@concordia.or.at
www.concordia.or.at

1685592665
#June #Republic #Moldova #2nd #Summit #European #Political #Community #candidate #country

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Health

“20 km of Brussels: Road Closures and Mobility Information”

by Alexandra Hartman Editor-in-Chief
written by Alexandra Hartman Editor-in-Chief

2023-05-27 19:04:06

Closed tunnels

From 5am, the Montgomery roundregarding and the Cinquantenaire – Belliard tunnel complex will be closed.

Closed streets

The roads located on the