Ukrainian-War Refugees in Poland: Assessment and Recommendations for Crisis Preparedness Education and Implementation

Abstract

Contemporary crises, including armed conflicts, terrorist attacks, and other disasters, affect the most vulnerable groups of the world population, i.e., women, children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and refugees. The current refugee crisis caused by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has revealed several problems, the effective solutions of which constitute a starting point for systemic actions. Polish State authorities’ preparedness for crises must consider the possibility of migration waves caused by wars, hunger, and climate change. Effective cooperation between the government administration, local governments, and non-governmental organisations is crucial. Non-governmental agencies’ knowledge base on refugees is essential, as are refugee needs in dealing with local emergency services, government agencies, and other stakeholders to develop culturally competent emergency preparedness training. The proposed solutions focus on separating crisis preparedness education from language and culture training. Targeting resources and mapping the individual steps necessary to create and maintain successful crisis preparedness education should result in updated training sessions as essential elements are revealed in improving the situation of the refugees.