24 June 2022

WARSAW – The Governor of the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), Carlo Monticelli, met today with the Chief of Mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM)’s Office in Poland, Lívia Styp-Rekowska, to discuss assistance and support provided to people who have fled the war in Ukraine. IOM’s assistance is being made possible under a grant from the CEB’s Migrant and Refugee Fund (MRF).

In cooperation with IOM Poland, the Governor also visited a reception centre run by the city of Warsaw, where he met with  refugees from Ukraine. 

“Exactly four months after the invasion of Ukraine, our support to and solidarity with the people fleeing the war remains unwavering. We are proud to be closely cooperating with IOM Poland to assist displaced people from Ukraine effectively and swiftly,” said CEB Governor Monticelli. “True to our historic mandate to support migrants and refugees, we will continue to coordinate with our partners and stakeholders to strengthen our collective response to this humanitarian crisis.” 

The CEB was the first multilateral development bank to disburse grants providing immediate assistance to people fleeing Ukraine. Earlier this year, it approved a total of €5.1 million in grants from MRF to CEB member countries that are recording large numbers of arrivals of people from Ukraine, including to IOM offices in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, the Republic of Moldova, Romania and the Slovak Republic. 

The CEB’s grant to IOM Poland – worth almost €900,000 – facilitates the provision of emergency assistance to people fleeing the war in Ukraine, including psychosocial and mental health assistance, shelter, labour market inclusion, provision of assistance through a dedicated infoline, water and sanitation assistance in transit centers, data collection, transport assistance and other services. 

The CEB grant has so far allowed IOM Poland to deliver information and legal advice to 4,363 people through its hotlines, and  to provide 600 people with crucial mental health and psychological support. The funding has also  enabled the organisation of IOM trainings for private sector entities to help displaced people from Ukraine find employment on the Polish job market. 

“We are very grateful for the long-standing cooperation and support from the CEB, which continues to serve people in need,” said IOM Poland Chief of Mission, Lívia Styp-Rekowska. “Following the outbreak of war in Ukraine, CEB funding has enabled us to provide critical information and counseling to new arrivals, sanitation and hygiene in reception centres, psychological and mental health support to those in need, protection and other assistance to those in vulnerable situations.”

Learn more about CEB’s response to the Ukraine refugee crisis: 
CEB and Ukraine refugees | CEB (coebank.org) 

Learn more about IOM's response: 
Ukraine: IOM Response 2022

About CEB
Set up in 1956, the CEB (Council of Europe Development Bank) has 42 member states. Twenty-two Central, Eastern and South Eastern European countries, forming the Bank's target countries, are listed among the member states. As a major instrument of the policy of solidarity in Europe, the Bank finances social projects by making available resources raised in conditions reflecting the quality of its rating It thus grants loans to its member states, and to financial institutions and local authorities in its member states for the financing of projects in the social sector, in accordance with its Articles of Agreement.

About IOM
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is part of the United Nations System as the leading inter-governmental organization promoting since 1951 humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all, with 174 member states and a presence in over 100 countries.  It does so by providing services and advice to migrants and governments. IOM works to help ensure the orderly and humane management of migration to promote international cooperation on migration issues, to assist in the search for practical solutions to migration problems and to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, including refugees and internally displaced people.

For more information, please contact:

CEB communication team, Email: info@coebank.org

Ewelina Kawczynska at IOM Poland, Tel: +48 789 739 664 , Email: ekawczynska@iom.int