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On World Refugee Day, we are reminded to look beyond statistics and headlines—to listen to the lived realities of those forced to flee and the communities that welcome them. In 2025, millions of refugees—many from Ukraine—have resettled, often not in capital cities but in smaller urban centres across Central and Eastern Europe. The role of secondary cities in this process remains largely under-recognised, yet it is essential to the future of inclusive societies.

Our ongoing research, spanning Košice, Brno, Kraków, Poznań, Miskolc, and Uzhhorod, reveals both the hardship and the hope that characterize refugee experiences in Central and Eastern Europe's secondary cities. While most of these cities have welcomed refugees fleeing across borders, Uzhhorod stands out as a key site for internally displaced people (IDPs)—Ukrainians displaced within their own country. These urban centers, whether hosting refugees or IDPs, have shown remarkable flexibility and human solidarity in responding to forced migration despite not always being equipped with robust infrastructures.

Stories of Struggle—and Strength

Take Košice, for example, where nearly 8,000 people live under temporary protection. One refugee mother shared: “There has never been a time when a Slovak refused help. But the hardest thing is still the children… not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.”

While acts of kindness abound, discrimination and exclusion persist. In Brno, a man was mocked at work and handed trash “for Ukraine.” In Miskolc, children faced xenophobic bullying. Despite such experiences, many refugees also described healing through connection: “Then I found a Czech friend,” one woman said, “and my life began again.”

When Local Action Matters Most

What helped most? It wasn’t national policy—but local initiative. Cities like Poznań set up Migrant Councils and multilingual support services. Košice created its own integration strategy, while Brno coordinated efforts among NGOs and city officials.

In cities such as Košice and Uzhhorod, over 40% of respondents reported uncertainty about whether they would remain in the city for more than five years — reflecting fragile integration conditions and unresolved feelings of belonging.

Yet NGOs stepped in powerfully—often filling gaps left by underfunded municipal services. Language courses, cultural activities, job support, and legal aid were most commonly accessed through civil society. In some cities, like Brno and Uzhhorod, over half of surveyed refugees said they had received help from NGOs.

Integration: A Long Road, Not a Single Step

Integration is not a single milestone but a long-term, multidimensional process. It requires not only formal access to healthcare, education, housing, and employment, but also everyday interactions that foster a sense of inclusion. Local networks, intercultural mediators, and trusted institutions often make the difference between navigating life in a new city with confidence—or struggling in isolation.

Today, we also recognise the host communities—those who have shared space, resources, and solidarity in the face of uncertainty. While pressure on services and institutions is real, so too is the potential for social renewal. Our findings show that when integration is treated not as a temporary fix but as a shared civic project, the results benefit everyone—creating more resilient, connected, and inclusive cities.

On World Refugee Day, let’s not only express support but also commit to listening more closely—to refugees, to local actors, and to those building solutions from the ground up. Integration doesn’t happen on paper—it happens in schools, in workplaces, on playgrounds, and in community halls. It’s here, in the everyday spaces of our cities, that the real work of welcoming begins.

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Funding: The research was supported by the International Visegrad Fund (No. 22330013), project title Challenges Faced by Ukrainian Refugees in Secondary Cities in Central and Eastern Europe: Promoting Inclusion and Social Cohesion through Inclusive Public Spaces, and by the Slovak Academy of Sciences Postdoctoral Grant Program “PostdokGrant” No. APD0061, titled Navigating Complexity: Enhancing Integration Pathways for Ukrainian Refugees in the CEE Region.

To learn more about our ongoing research and findings, visit inclusivecee.eu.

Text: Jana Papcunová, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of Social Sciences, CSPS, Slovak Academy of Sciences

Foto: canva.com