Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, CGIL has immediately organized to give a supportive response to the needs of the population affected by the conflict. It has been doing it through the campaign "CGIL with the Ukrainian people", joined by thousands of individuals and trade unions. To date, there are already four shipments of an amount of tens of tons of basic necessities and food, along with important activities in the area to ask for a ceasefire and the opening of diplomatic channels to achieve a just and lasting peace. This collective effort was joined by Nexus, an NGO of international trade union cooperation, which is supporting the campaign also by finding cooperation projects. Indeed, humanitarian needs continue to increase, with the affected population in need of strong support that will not run out in the short term. Even if, hopefully, the war should cease, the degree of destruction of homes and civil infrastructures in many areas of the country is so high that no return is possible, even in the absence of military operations. In addition, most of the refugees and internally displaced people come from regions under Russian occupation and therefore, even when hostilities cease, they will not have a safe place to return. According to IOM data, over 7.7 million people are internally displaced, while over 5 million Ukrainians and at least 233,000 other nationalities have sought refuge beyond the borders, in neighboring countries.

"Solidarnist: emergency and solidarity for the Ukrainian population" is a project supporting the work of FPU - the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine - which operates directly in the country for the assistance and dignified reception of the population displaced by the war. FPU is part of the trade union network that embraces Italy-Austria-Slovakia-Ukraine and that collaborates with CGIL in the solidarity campaign. Since the first days of the war, the FPU union has made its network of accommodation facilities available for the reception of the displaced population.

The aim of Solidarnist project is to support active solidarity with the Ukrainian population affected by the war, through the reception centers managed by the union in the Rivne, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Volyn and Kharkhiv oblasts. An important component of the response will be the strengthening of the capacity to manage collective shelters as places of welcome and transit in a safe and dignified way. The direct beneficiaries of the project will be 280 people assisted by the activity managed by FPU in terms of food assistance and dignified hospitality. The project was presented by Nexus international solidarity Emilia Romagna, in partnership with Auser Emilia Romagna in the second call for the Ukraine emergency launched by the Emilia Romagna Region, obtaining a contribution of 100,000 euros.

 

(Edited by Sabina Breveglieri, Nexus Emilia Romagna)