Europe's response to the Ukraine refugee crisis. What can we do?

Putin's invasion of Ukraine has created a new refugee crisis in Europe, with millions of people forced to flee to neighbouring countries. 

In response, the European Movement UK has organised an online event to look at Europe's response to the crisis, and to discuss what we can do to ensure that Europe is a welcoming place for Ukrainian refugees.

Starting at 6:30pm UK time (7:30pm CET) on Tuesday 15 March 2022, the event will feature an insightful and informative panel of speakers, including:

• Olena Shevchenko - Ukrainian Human Rights and LGBT+ activist currently on the ground in Lviv, Ukraine
• Maryna Hovorukhina - A board member of Zmina, a Ukrainian Human Rights organisation based in Kyiv
• Tim Naor Hilton - CEO of Refugee Action
• Kate Smart - CEO of Settled
• Clare Moseley - Founder of Care4Calais

The event will be chaired by Anna Bird, CEO of the European Movement UK, and you can read more about the speakers further down this page.

Topics covered during the event will include firsthand accounts of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine and seeking safety in the rest of Europe, the complex process that Ukrainian refugees seeking shelter in the UK need to go through, the experience of NGOs working on the front line of the refugee crisis, what the response from Europe should be, and what long-term issues need to be overcome if Europe is going to be a welcoming home for Ukrainian refugees for as long as they need our protection.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

OLENA SHEVCHENKO
Olena is a Ukrainian LGBT+ and Human Rights activist, who is the organiser of Ukraine's Women's March and the Head of Organisation for Insight Ukraine. She is originally from Kyiv but is now based in Lviv after fleeing the Russian invasion.

Since setting up operations in Lviv, Olena has established shelters in the city for women and older / disabled people. She is also working on managing the situation for LGBT+ people who are unable to leave Ukraine and are not safe.

Olena will be joining the event live from Lviv, Ukraine to give us her first-hand insights on the challenges facing people that have been forced to flee the conflict.

МАРИНА HOVORUKHINA
Марина is a member of the board of Zmina, a Ukrainian Human Rights NGO that is based in Kyiv, which aims to promote the human rights, the rule of law and the ideas of civil society in Ukraine.

Currently en route to seek safety in Germany, Марина previously worked for a range of charities and organisations across Ukraine, including "100% Life" and "Voices of Children".

TIM NAOR HILTON
Tim is the CEO of Refugee Action, an organisation that helps people who’ve survived some of the world’s worst regimes obtain the basic support they need to live again with dignity.

Tim has worked at Refugee Action since 2002, starting as a frontline development worker in Manchester, before progressing to Area Manager in Greater Manchester, and then Head of Asylum before becoming CEO in 2021.

KATE SMART
Kate is the CEO of Settled, a charity set up in 2019 by European citizens living in the UK to provide free and trustworthy information, advice and support to others in the same position.

For two years Settled focussed on helping European citizens make applications to stay in the UK through the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS). Now that the deadline to apply has passed, Settled continues to support the rights and wellbeing of EU citizens in the UK and responds to the emerging challenges that they face as a result of Brexit and with using the new digital-only immigration status.

Settled are currently providing advice to EU nationals living in the UK who have Ukrainian family members seeking refuge.

CLARE MOSELEY
Clare is the founder of Care4Calais, a volunteer run charity delivering essential aid and support to refugees living in the UK, Northern France and Belgium.  Operating year round, their focus is to provide warm clothing, bedding, food and medical assistance to people in desperate need. They also provide social support and interaction, including language lessons and sports and music workshops.

Clare, and the rest of the Care4Calais team, are currently on the ground in France trying to help Ukrainian refugees navigate the complex procedures that they need to follow in their journey to seek safety in the UK.

ABOUT THE EVENT

The event will be streamed live on the European Movement UK's social media channels but we encourage you to RSVP in advance via this page.

By RSVPing here you will gain exclusive access to a private stream of the event, via which you can interact with the European Movement team and also ask questions to the speakers.

To RSVP simply click on the "RSVP Here" button on this page.

NB: This event is free to attend but we encourage you to make a donation to the European Movement UK during the RSVP process to help us put on more events like this, and to help fund our campaigns.