Support for Ukrainian Refugees through Media

Part of: Regional Refugee Response Plan for Ukraine Situation.

With millions of refugees from Ukraine across Europe in 2023, access to reliable and relevant information for the displaced persons was a challenge. Mainstream media were key to keeping Ukrainian refugees updated on humanitarian assistance and other topics of interest and concern to them.

The Support for Ukrainian Refugees through Media project assisted refugees from Ukraine in the Republic of Moldova, Romania, and Slovakia and the host governments in their refugee response through media. The initiative was made possible by funding from Japan. It was UNESCO’s contribution to the inter-agency Regional Refugee Response Plan for the Ukraine Situation, coordinated by UNHCR.

Duration:

12 months, from February 2023

Funding:

USD 1.5 million

Donor:

Government of Japan

Project countries:

Republic of Moldova, Romania and Slovakia

“Through this project, UNESCO strengthened fact-based information exchange between refugees and host citizens as audience members. In doing so, it fostered social cohesion. The project supported media in their portrayal of the diversity of viewpoints, and governments in their response to the refugee flows.”

Tawfik JelassiUNESCO Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information

Baseline Study and Survey

The project implementation was guided by research on the media habits and information needs of the refugees from Ukraine in the Republic of Moldova, Romania and Slovakia, based on 695 interviews with displaced women, children, youths, older people, people with disabilities and vulnerable persons.

Survey by NRC for Refugee Media Project, June 2023.

UNESCO

Content by, with and for Ukrainian Refugees

Mainstream media worked with refugees from Ukraine to produce content for, with and by Ukrainian refugees, on topics of their interest and concern. Refugee voices were included in media coverage, to foster dialogue, inclusion and understanding with host communities.

UNESCO

Media Capacity Development

Workshops and mentoring sessions on solutions journalism and ethical and conflict-sensitive reporting were held to strengthen the editorial practices of host-country media in covering refugees and related issues.

Irina Stryapko, Ukrainan media professional in Moldova

UNESCO

Stakeholder Inclusion

Government institutions and the UN multi-partner, multi-sector response actors were included in project events and activities, promoting a greater diversity of sources for refugee-related media coverage.