Equality versus equity. How complementary approaches are required to support vulnerable Ukrainian refugees

Equality versus equity is a joint paper prepared by a team of NRC and PCPM experts exploring the social assistance extended to refugees from Ukraine who arrived in Poland after the escalation of the war in February 2022.

Despite Poland fully embracing Ukrainian refugees into its social protection system, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and the Polish Center for International Aid (PCPM) assert that the policy foundations, combined with design issues and challenges in implementation, make it challenging for many Ukrainians to receive adequate support or become self-sufficient.

The paper discusses the difference between the policy versus the implementation of that support and the needs of Ukrainians. We unpack common misperceptions about the scale and scope of this support and shed light on barriers and challenges faced by refugees from Ukraine in meeting their emergency needs and then medium-term integration needs.

The international and local NGO community has a strong role to provide targeted support to meet diverse needs and vulnerabilities. While we advocate for state-provided universal access to scalable social protection, our interventions must continue to plug where government assistance falls short for vulnerable households.