*From JRS Europe. For more information, please visit this page.

The International Armed Conflict between Russia and Ukraine has displaced millions of people, constituting the largest humanitarian crisis in Europe since the Second World War. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) has been on the frontlines of humanitarian response, working with those who have been forced to flee their homes. Today, after an in-depth needs assessment, JRS Europe is presenting the coordinated unified response from the Society of Jesus to the crisis: The One Proposal.

Since the start of the international armed conflict in Ukraine, the organizations of the Jesuits have served and accompanied 56,042 people fleeing violence. Coordinated by the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Europe and the Xavier Network, and in collaboration with JRS country offices, NGOs, and local partners, the Society of Jesus has provided 82,111 short-term and medium-term assistance activities in areas such as emergency aid, shelter, psychosocial support, education, and integration.

In the first year of the One Proposal implementation, 60% of the services were under the umbrella of the first key strategic objective “Welcome”, which focuses on short-term and emergency aid through shelter and emergency aid. Meanwhile, 30% of activities were medium-term help in areas like psychosocial support, health, education, and housing, which fall under the second strategic objective “Protect”. The last 10% were shared between the “Integrate” and “Promote” objectives which aim to provide long-term support through employment, awareness raising and integration activities.

The priorities: to welcome, protect, promote, and integrate refugees

Through this initiative, JRS and Xavier Network which coordinate the global response from the Society of Jesus, will accompany, serve, and advocate for more than 73,000 refugees fleeing conflict in Ukraine over the course of the next three years. This response will be coordinated by JRS Europe, and implemented jointly with 23 JRS Country Offices, the Society of Jesus in Europe, local civil society, NGOs, and Xavier Network.

The One Proposal addresses the needs of forcibly displaced Ukrainians across Europe, from the immediate humanitarian response and emergency assistance in Ukraine and its neighbours to long-term programmes to promote and integrate refugees from Portugal to Poland. It will benefit Internally displaced people, refugees of Ukrainian nationality and refugees of other nationalities, displaced by the conflict in Ukraine.

The response is structured around five key strategic objectives that aim to put people at the centre of the intervention:

• Welcome: ensure refugees are welcomed across Europe by accompanying them and listening to their stories, and by walking together without prejudice and without fear.
• Protect: defend the inalienable rights of displaced people, ensuring their fundamental freedoms, and respecting their dignity.
• Promote: safeguard the individual and social conditions for access, choice, growth, and human development for those displaced by the conflict by encouraging programmes which involve refugees as active protagonists.
• Integrate: foment social interaction, inclusion, and integration, aiming to reduce economic and social marginalisation, and support more cohesive, inclusive, and robust societies.
• Institutional Strengthening: scale-up our strength, capacities, and networks to provide a large-scale high-quality response to the needs of refugees.

These strategic objectives will guide the activities in all sectors, such as shelter, accommodation & non-food items; emergency aid, relief & assistance; legal assistance; health; psychosocial support; education; livelihoods; awareness & advocacy; integration & peacebuilding; and capacity building.