20.07.2016

Mariupol became the first city in Ukraine, which joined the international initiative "Cities of Solidarity" of the UN refugee agency. Since the beginning of the military conflict in Donbass, Mariupol accepted 106,000 immigrants, trying to help everyone. But the burden of problems is accumulated and the city cannot solve it alone.

Today, the Memorandum on Cooperation between the UN Agency for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Mariupol City Council, which established the main goals and directions in the field of protection the rights and integration of immigrants, was signed at an international forum "Mariupol - the City of Solidarity".

The document was signed by the Mayor of Mariupol Vadim Boychenko and Head of the UN Refugee Agency in Ukraine Pablo Mateo. The signed principle of solidarity and cooperation will form the basis for the further cooperation with other cities.

"We are honored to be a “pilot” in such a large and important project. We didn’t know what war was, immigrants ... Our inhabitants were the first who held out a helping hand to those who left their homes unwillingly. Mariupol proved that it was a city of friendly and solidary people. But the city cannot solve alone a 2.5-year-long problem. Mariupol needs advice, a reliable shoulder of international partners".

As the honorable guests of the forum, the Head of the European Office of the UN Agency for Refugees (UNHCR), Vincent Koshetel, and the UN System Coordinator in Ukraine, Neal Walker, noted, Mariupol became an example of solidarity and unity that should follow other cities.

“City of Solidarity” is a recognition of the fact that the city has worked hard to accept people and to integrate them into a new life. We hope that Mariupol will be an inspiration to other Ukrainian cities ", - said Vincent Koshetel.

The forum was attended by the representatives of embassies, Deputy Minister for the temporarily occupied territories and the IDRs, Georgiy Tuka, the head of the office of the UN Refugee Agency to Mariupol Dumitru Lipcanu and the Governor Deputy of Donetsk region Viktor Remskiy.

The plans of the forum are the development of the "road map" for the integration of immigrants in Mariupol and priority directions of the city development. In addition to the key issues of housing, employment, affordable public transport, quality education and health services, Mariupol considers the possibility of relocation there the Donetsk State Medical University named after Gorky and the establishment of the regional clinical hospital in the city.