9 months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a joint ICMPD-IGC initiative examines what comes next for persons under temporary protection schemes. Between December 2022 and March 2023, a series of consultations will enable receiving countries to share their insights and plans, while ICMPD and IGC will identify lessons learned and policy options for the road ahead.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 has led to the fastest and largest displacement of people since World War II. By the end of November 2022, UNHCR recorded nearly 8 million people displaced from Ukraine across Europe alone. To respond to the arrival of so many persons and swiftly provide protection, receiving countries in and beyond Europe have mainly turned to temporary protection schemes that provide status, the right to work, and the provision of various services.
As the war continues, receiving countries have begun to consider possible strategies for what comes after the initial period of temporary protection schemes, whether this means prolonging these schemes, creating pathways to long-term residence, supporting those who wish to return to Ukraine, or other policy options.
Against this backdrop, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) and the Inter-Governmental Consultations on Migration, Asylum and Refugees (IGC) are undertaking a joint effort to explore key considerations and possible strategies for temporary protection schemes and beyond. This joint initiative will provide ICMPD’s and IGC’s Member States and other key stakeholders with a platform to reflect on achievements and challenges with their temporary protection schemes and discuss policy options for the short and medium term. Lessons learned and recommendations for the way forward, stemming from these discussions and from research, will be shared in forthcoming publications to engage a wider range of stakeholders.