A/HRC/53/26/Add.1 49. Other groups with vulnerabilities, such as Ukrainian single mothers with several children and ethnic minority groups, including Roma families, are entitled to the support for families and children provided by the Government. Older persons and individuals with limited social and financial resources are also among the most vulnerable. As mentioned above, these groups benefit greatly from support and assistance provided by private reception centres and shelters as well as by international humanitarian actors. Owing to the uncertainty created by the ongoing war in Ukraine and the lack of options to establish a new life on their own, most of these groups of vulnerable people may be obliged to continue to rely on humanitarian assistance. 50. Because of the two-fold approach to refugees in the application of legislation and policies, and the fact that the majority of government programmes in response to the war in Ukraine are designed to assist Ukrainian refugees, third-country nationals, especially those who were already in irregular situations in Ukraine, cannot benefit from the wide range of support and financial aid designated for Ukrainians. Third-country nationals in need of assistance often face discrimination in accessing services and benefits and have to rely on assistance provided by private or international humanitarian actors. Many with multifaceted vulnerability face tremendous barriers to recovery and integration. V. Border management at the shared border between Poland and Belarus A. Situation at the Polish-Belarusian border 51. Cooperation between Poland and Belarus in managing their common border changed drastically after the presidential elections in August 2020 in Belarus and the violent repression of peaceful protests in the post-election period by Belarusian authorities and the overall deterioration of human rights, democracy and the rule of law in the country. Following these events, the European Union ceased funding and suspended and/or terminated a range of projects with Belarus, including in the area of cross-border cooperation and international technical assistance. Since October 2020, the European Union has imposed seven packages of sanctions in connection with the situation in Belarus. 9 As a result, border management relations between Poland and Belarus have deteriorated significantly since 2020, with tensions at the shared border escalating after August 2021. 52. In the summer of 2021, there was a significant increase of visitors with Belarusian tourist visas arriving in Minsk from countries of the Middle East, mainly families with children. Most were from Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic, and many came in groups under “group visas” issued by Belarus.10 53. Tensions at the Polish-Belarusian border initially arose in August 2021, when a group of 32 Afghani migrants (4 women, 27 men and 1 girl) reached the normally restricted border area between Poland and Belarus near the town of Usnarz Gorny, requesting international protection from the Polish side. Their requests for protection were ignored and they were not allowed to enter Polish territory, nor were they allowed to return to Belarus. The group remained stranded at the border area for weeks, between two lines of armed soldiers and border guards, with limited access to food, clean water, adequate shelter and sanitation facilities. It was at that point in time that the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants started following the situation of migrants at the border between Poland and Belarus.11 54. In early November 2021, the situation at the border escalated when approximately 2,500 migrants marched along the highway to the border area in the Grodno region of Belarus. It was believed that the migrants intended to cross to the Polish side and apply for 9 10 11 GE.23-06742 European Union Sanctions Map, available at https://www.sanctionsmap.eu/#/main. See A/HRC/53/26/Add.2. See UA POL/2021, AL BLR 7/2021 and AL POL 3/2022. These and all subsequent communications are available from https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/Tmsearch/TMDocuments. 11