Parajurista Elena Tutunaru

[Closed] Strengthening access to justice through legal empowerment of refugees in Moldova

Status:Closed
Duration:2022 – 2023
Budget:US$250,000
Donor:Sweden via the UNDP Global Programme for Strengthening the Rule of Law, Human Rights, Justice and Security for Sustainable Peace and Development
Coverage:National
Beneficiaries:Women and men, including from minority and marginalised groups, survivors of domestic violence and their children, Ukrainian refugees in hosting communities, justice chain actors, providers of state guaranteed legal aid, national and local state institutions engaged in support to refugees and asylum seekers and host communities
Focus Area:Effective Governance, Justice & Human Rights
Partners:National Legal Aid Council, justice chain actors, local public authorities, specialized NGO’s, professionals from social sector
Project Document:Strengthening access to justice through legal empowerment of refugees in Moldova
See more information about the project on the transparency portal.

 

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:

  • 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/;

  • 40 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;
  • The concept of the training programme on protection of rights of refugees for the law-enforcement actors developed;
  • 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;
  • Two Mobile Teams (in Edineț and Căușeni) were created and are fully functional;
  • During July - December 2022, the Mobile Teams assisted 226 beneficiaries, out of which: 100 refugee women and 126 women from vulnerable groups, including 59 survivors and potential survivors of GBV;
  • 34 beneficiaries, out of which 24 refugee women and 10 survivors of GBV received juridical services through the Mobile Team intervention;
  • 45 beneficiaries, out of which 31 refugee women and 14 survivors of GBV received psychological support;
  • 55 beneficiaries, out of which 29 refugee women and 26 survivors of GBV, were helped to solve their social and administrative issues.
YearsBudgetDelivery
Sweden via the UNDP Global Programme for Strengthening the Rule of Law, Human Rights, Justice and Security for Sustainable Peace and Development
2022$124,416$90,677
2023$125,584