The new UNHCR Representative for Refugees in the Republic of Belarus visited Vitebsk for the first time

— This trip is more of an introductory nature. I wanted to find out what the situation is in the area of forced displacement in the city and the region, what protection is provided to forced migrants and refugees, — explained Mr. Jean-Yves Bouchardie, the purpose of his visit.

On the first day of his stay, he met with the Deputy Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee Oleg Matskevich and representatives of various departments and public organizations to discuss the current situation in the region. According to the guest, it is similar to other regions of the country. By Belarusian standards, we have a decent number of asylum seekers — about 50 people. But Vitebsk region is distinguished from other regions by the presence of the only temporary accommodation center for refugees in the republic, which is very important.

At the meeting with the regional leadership, issues of supporting the most vulnerable category of refugees, foreign students, were discussed. The international community also provides assistance to this category through various programs (for example, the DAFI program, which is funded by the German government). However, there are many applicants for it, and the competition is high. And the funds are limited. Therefore, the best results are achieved through cooperation at the local level — with authorities, non-governmental organizations, and the Red Cross. A good example is the program for teaching refugees Russian at Vitebsk State University named after P. Masherov.

— Today, 19 people seeking refugee status and additional protection have found shelter at the center, — said Tatyana Romashova, Head of the Citizenship and Migration Department of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Regional Executive Committee. — These are mainly citizens of Afghanistan. But there are representatives from Georgia, Congo, Palestine, and other countries. They not only receive accommodation (for up to a year) but also adapt to our society. They have access to medical care, the opportunity to find employment, and children can study at school on an equal footing with Belarusian children.

The possibility of accommodating citizens from Syria and Ukraine in a temporary settlement for refugees was also discussed, should such a need arise. Meetings were held between the UNHCR representative and the committee for labor, employment, and social protection of the regional executive committee, the refugee counseling service, and the regional organization of the Belarusian Red Cross Society. Thanks to the memorandum signed between the parties in 2010, standard operating procedures for mutual information exchange and coordination of actions regarding each specific refugee and asylum seeker were developed. For example, efforts are made to encourage their employment to avoid dependency. To this end, a year ago, the Vitebsk region participated twice in competitions for the best social projects organized by UNHCR and won grants. With their help, equipment was purchased to create 2 workplaces at the «Vitebskhlebprom» enterprise and 8 at «Krasny Oktyabr».

Jean-Yves Bouchard visited both and spoke with foreign workers who are refugees. He noted the real results achieved by our region and the high level of integration of foreign citizens into Belarusian society. Taking this into account, as well as the proper use of the received funding, the «Agreement on the Transfer of Ownership of UNHCR Assets» was signed. This means that the equipment, which had been used by the committee for labor, employment, and social protection for a year, has now been transferred to communal ownership.

Ekaterina Knyazeva, "Vitebskiye Vesti"