Research was conducted between January and May 2025 and assessed how well humanitarian programming implemented by NRC and other international and national humanitarian actors aligns with global standards on community engagement, accountability, and inclusive participation through its three pillars: information sharing, community consultations, and community feedback mechanisms.
The findings of the assessment have provided insight into structural and contextual challenges that influence community participation, including socio-cultural norms, gender roles, power dynamics within communities, and broader limitations due to digital literacy and infrastructural barriers. The necessity for humanitarian actors to foster inclusive practices, particularly through strengthened gender and intersectionality approaches was underscored through this assessment, to ensure that diverse groups – including women, men, girls and boys, older persons, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities such as members of the Roma community, and LGBTQAI+ individuals – are fully engaged and empowered within humanitarian interventions.
By offering evidence-based recommendations and actionable insight, this report aims to guide NRC and other humanitarian stakeholders to enhance genuine community participation, improve accountability systems, and ensure that programming is safe, inclusive, participatory, transparent, and responsive to the nuanced needs of affected communities in Moldova and Ukraine.
