Assessing the role of Moldovan civil society organizations and international funds in migration management

Managing migration in the EU and in the neighboring countries is a social and economic investment that enables societies to strengthen their cohesion and resilience and become more prosperous. It can be considered also a societal process in which the responsibility does not rest with a specific group, but with several. The collective efforts of Moldovan civil society organizations have been instrumental in addressing the needs and promoting the rights of refugees from Ukraine who have sought protection in Moldova since the escalation of the conflict in February 2022. One of our research hypotheses is represented by the fact that civil society organizations play an important role in migrant management. Moldovan CSOs are playing an important role in supporting and complementing the efforts of the government, agencies and international NGOs, as well as the private sector and private citizens, to provide protection and services to refugees including at border reception points, in main urban centers and throughout the country. They carry out valuable work assisting or even substituting public authorities and governments by providing guidance and support in this process. Civil society and social partners operate at different levels. Some organizations are active at international level, others at national level, and others at regional or local level. Activities at different levels complement each other. A second hypothesis that we want to test starts from the idea that despite their involvement and critical role in the refugee response, there was no comprehensive overview of the CSO ecosystem and its financial sources in Moldova, which left a gap in coordination and synergies critical for an effective operation and humanitarian response.