A New Role of Responsibility for CRDC: Irina Bejan, Co-Chair of the Cahul Local Refugee Coordination Forum

March marks an important milestone for the team of the Regional Community Development Center (CRDC) and for our community. The organization’s Executive Director, Irina Bejan, has been appointed Co-Chair of the Cahul Local Refugee Coordination Forum (LRCF), alongside UNHCR Moldova and the Cahul Municipality.

What is the Cahul Local Refugee Coordination Forum (LRCF)?

The Cahul Local Refugee Coordination Forum is a local coordination platform that brings together public institutions, civil society organizations, UN agencies, and other relevant actors involved in supporting refugees. The Forum aims to ensure dialogue, cooperation, and coherent interventions, so that responses to refugees’ needs are effective, coordinated, and tailored to the local context.

Within the LRCF, discussions focus on:

• refugees’ access to social, educational, and health services;

• socio-economic integration and community participation;

• protection of vulnerable groups;

• cooperation between authorities, NGOs, and international partners.

CRDC’s involvement at the level of Forum co-chairmanship confirms the organization’s role as a key actor in community development and social inclusion in the southern region of the Republic of Moldova. Through this mandate, CRDC will actively contribute to:

• strengthening collaboration between local institutions and non-governmental organizations;

• representing local community perspectives in decision-making processes;

• promoting sustainable, people-centered solutions;

• increasing the transparency and effectiveness of interventions dedicated to refugees.

For our organization, this role goes beyond representation—it is a direct responsibility to transform dialogue into concrete actions with real impact on people’s lives.

What does this mean for the Cahul community?

For the Cahul community, the effective functioning of the LRCF means:

• better coordinated services for refugees;

• reduced overlaps and gaps in interventions;

• more harmonious integration between refugees and the local community;

• strengthened solidarity, social cohesion, and mutual trust.

Through CRDC’s active involvement, the voice of the local community will be better represented, and initiatives will be adapted to on-the-ground realities.

“This appointment is an honor, but above all a responsibility. I firmly believe that responses to refugees’ needs must be built together with the local community, through cooperation, empathy, and long-term solutions. As Co-Chair of the Cahul LRCF, my goal is to contribute to effective coordination and to initiatives that benefit both refugees and the communities that host them,”
Irina Bejan, Executive Director of CRDC.

We thank our partners for their trust and remain committed to building an inclusive, supportive, and resilient community, where every person has access to real support and opportunities.