On 15 May, the Ministry of the Interior hosted an experience exchange event on the reception of Ukrainian civilians in Latvia. This was the fourth time that the meeting was held, and this time special attention was paid to the measures for the integration of Ukrainian refugees and international experience. Representatives from Norway, Finland and Denmark shared their experiences of hosting Ukrainian civilians.
The event was attended by representatives of the responsible state administration authorities and local governments, international organisations involved in the reception of Ukrainian civilians (UNHCR, IOM) and Latvian non-governmental organizations, members of the 14th Saeima — Gunārs Kūtris and Anna Rancāne.
The meeting was opened by the Minister of the Interior Rihards Kozlovskis, the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Culture Agnese Lāce and the Member of the Board of the Association “I Want to Help Refugees” Linda Jākobsone-Gavala.
“It is our duty to ensure the safety of Ukrainian civilians in our country, to provide them with opportunities to enter the labour market by promoting economic activity, and to provide them with education so that they can integrate into society as independently as possible. Such meetings, practices and exchanges are the basis on which the best models of action are built. We can learn from the experience of other countries and build systems that effectively support the integration and well-being of Ukrainian civilians”, indicated R. Kozlovski.
In the first four months of 2024, 6457 Ukrainian citizens have crossed the external border into Latvia (an average of 1614 per month), which is significantly less than in 2023, when 40 496 Ukrainian citizens crossed in the same period (16% in 2024 compared to the same period in 2023).
In 2024, an average of 476 Ukrainian civilians per month are newly registered in the Register of Natural Persons (FPRIS). In 2023, a total of 9445 persons were newly registered in the FPRIS; in the first four months of 2024 — 1904 persons, 62% of the same period in 2023.
As of 1 May 2024, 44,961 Ukrainian civilians with temporary protection status were listed in FPRIS: 61% women, 39% men.
Long-term support measures to promote the integration and self-reliance of persons, in particular integration into the labour market and the Latvian education system, finding long-term housing, language acquisition, are becoming essential.
At the same time, the situation on the front is unstable and difficult to predict, which means both that a large number of Ukrainians in Latvia will not be able to return to Ukraine in the near future, and that Ukrainian civilians will continue to arrive and, depending on the development of the situation in Ukraine, an increase in their flow cannot be ruled out.
“Spot the Threat of Human Trafficking” campaign
Madara Puķe, Head of Public Relations at the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, presented the information campaign to Ukrainian civilians living in Latvia. The campaign “Spot the threat of human trafficking!” was launched on 13 May by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior to inform Ukrainian civilians living in Latvia about the possible risks of human trafficking and preventive measures.
A study by the Public Policy Centre “Providus”
Dārta Pelse and Dace Meilija, researchers at the Public Policy Centre “Providus”, presented the preliminary results of two studies carried out within the project “Assessment of the reception of Ukrainian civilians in Latvian municipalities and capacity building of municipalities” and the project “Data mining on Ukrainian civilians in Latvia and their need” administered by the Public Integration Foundation and funded by the EU.
Although the results of both surveys will be fully available at the end of the project, the existing data show that Latvian citizens continue to support the reception of new Ukrainian refugees (58,9%) and believe that Ukrainian civilians in Latvia should continue to receive the same (36,3%) or more (20,6%) support from state and local authorities. The survey of Ukrainian civilians reveals that those civilians who have faced serious difficulties in Latvia most often mention them in the areas of employment and education.
The event was followed by a discussion — participants looked back at what has already been achieved and what can be done better in the future to ensure the effective integration of Ukrainian refugees into Latvian society.
The event was organized by the association “I Want to Help Refugees” and the Public Policy Centre “Providus” with the support of the Ministry of the Interior.
Prepared by:
Ministry of the Interior
Communication Department