Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine are taking steps to improve access to state-guaranteed legal aid for forcibly displaced people, but significant barriers continue to prevent many from fully exercising their rights, according to a new assessment by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The assessment, titled Justice Journeys in Displacement, examines how legal aid systems in the four countries are responding to large-scale displacement linked to the war in Ukraine and the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Based on consultations with around 150 people, including displaced communities, lawyers, judges, legal aid providers, civil society groups and refugee-led organizations, the assessment finds that all four countries have strengthened their legal and institutional frameworks.
Innovations such as mobile legal aid services, digital platforms and stronger partnerships with civil society are helping make justice more accessible. However, formal legal guarantees do not always translate into practical access.
Displaced people continue to face challenges including limited awareness of available services, language barriers, shortages of interpreters, difficulties accessing assistance in rural areas and barriers for people with disabilities. Legal aid systems also face funding shortages, heavy workloads, inconsistent service quality and gaps in data collection and policy coordination.
UNDP says legal aid systems need to become more people-centred and responsive to the experiences of displaced communities. This includes trauma-informed and gender-sensitive approaches, better legal information, expanded digital and in-person services, stronger professional training and improved systems for handling complaints and appeals.
The assessment provides 77 country-specific recommendations aimed at making legal aid more accessible, effective and sustainable. It also calls for stronger cooperation between legal aid institutions, social services, migration authorities, civil society organizations and refugee-led groups.
The findings build on the Tbilisi Declaration on Access to State-Guaranteed Legal Aid for Forcibly Displaced Populations, adopted in 2023 with support from UNDP and the German Government.
UNDP says that improving legal aid for displaced people can also strengthen justice systems for wider populations. Ensuring that people can understand and exercise their legal rights, regardless of where they have been forced to flee, remains essential to protecting dignity, equality and access to justice.
