UNHCR's Operations in Bulgaria and Refugee Protection Mandate
The UNHCR's operations in Bulgaria, led by Mariya Shisheva, focus on providing international protection to refugees, asylum-seekers, stateless persons, returnees, and internally displaced persons. The organization follows the UNHCR Statute and the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees to ensure the rights and well-being of refugees. Additionally, the UNHCR emphasizes the importance of age, gender, and diversity in addressing forced displacement and statelessness by engaging with affected populations and tailoring responses to their needs.
Download Presentation
Please find below an Image/Link to download the presentation.
The content on the website is provided AS IS for your information and personal use only. It may not be sold, licensed, or shared on other websites without obtaining consent from the author. Download presentation by click this link. If you encounter any issues during the download, it is possible that the publisher has removed the file from their server.
E N D
Presentation Transcript
UNHCRs operation in Bulgaria Mariya Shisheva, Senior Protection Associate, UNHCR
UNHCR Role and Mandate UNHCR Statute (1950): Provision of international protection to refugees Finding durable solutions for them The mandate has developed and includes asylum- seekers, stateless persons, returnees, internally displaced persons
1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and Protocol (1967) Definition of a refugee Principle of non-refoulement refugees should not be returned to the frontiers of territories where life or freedom would be at risk Defines the basic rights and obligations of refugees
Refugee definition 1951 Convention The following conditions should be met: The person should be outside their country of origin Well-founded fear of persecution Based on one of the following grounds: race religion nationality membership of particular social group political opinion is unable or unwilling to avail himself of the protection of this country or to return there due to fear of persecution
UNHCR Age, Gender and Diversity Policy and Commitment Forced displacement and statelessness impact people differently, depending on age, gender, and diversity. Effective and accountable humanitarian responses require: (i) continuous and meaningful engagement with persons of concern; (ii) understanding their needs and protection risks; (iii) building on their capacities; and (iv) pursuing protection, assistance, and solutions that take into account their perspectives and priorities.
Asylum applications and decisions 2016 31.12.2022 25000 20407 19418 20000 14474 15000 10999 9662 8932 10000 4273 1876 900 5000 3700 3525 3048 1040 764 2870 1362 2536 2152 1732 445 1374 1256 1135 587 860 804 716 452 413 317 300 181 143 105 100 0 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Asylum Applications Refugee Status Humanitarian Status Refusal Terminated procedure
Main countries of origin 31.12.2022 Morocco - 1721 Afghanistan- 7164 Afghanistan Ukraine Iraq Syria Syria - 8598 Ukraine - 1313 Iraq 656
UNHCR Bulgaria Priorities ensure access to territory ensure access to fair and efficient asylum procedure improve reception conditions reduce detention (exemption of children) improve detention conditions Ensure children have access to adequate reception and care within the national child protection system facilitate effective access to rights upon recognition and support integration Improve the identification and protection of stateless persons and reduce risk of statelessness
UNHCR Activities in Bulgaria Advocacy to improve the national asylum system: Comments on legislation and policy Provision of technical guidance and expertise Meetings and exchanges with authorities at national and local level Strategic litigation Capacity-building Border and National Police; Directorate Migration , SAR interviewers, social workers etc Lawyers, judges Monitoring Border, detention, reception centers Refugee status determination procedure, Statelessness status determination procedure Awareness-raising and improving public attitudes Coordination Operational support: humanitarian assistance; cash-based interventions; other services and activities provided by partners; Blue dots: UNHCR/UNICEF: Sofia, Varna, Burgas, Ruse, Dobrich
UNHCR Partners activities Legal Assistance and counselling: BHC, FAR Integration advocacy: BCRM, SDA Child protection: NRG, Ukraine support and renovation foundation Social protection, humanitarian assistance, integration support: BRC, CRW, Caritas
Ukraine Situation EU Temporary Protection Directive (Mar 2022) Over 8M refugees recorded across Europe(Feb 2023, UNHCR) In 2022, over 977,000 refugees from Ukraine --> Bulgaria Over 149,000 refugees registered for Temporary Protection with the Government of Bulgaria since Feb2022 (31 Dec) Some 50,000 refugees from Ukraine remain in country (7 Feb)
Refugee Coordination Model in Bulgaria Government of Bulgaria Refugee Coordinator/UNHCR Representative Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Technical Working Group (WHO, Ministry of Health) Inter-Agency Coordination Working Group (UNHCR) PSEA network (UNHCR, UNICEF) Protection Working Group (SAR, UNHCR) - Child Protection, Gender Based Violence - Integration - Communication with Communities Education Working Group (Ministry of Education, UNICEF) Cash Working Group (UNHCR, Ministry of Labour / Social Assistance)
Priority Sectors Refugee Response Plan (RRP) Cross-Cutting Priorities Accountability to Affected People Prevention of Sexual Exploitation & Abuse Protection: Child Protection, Gender Based Violence Basic Needs Livelihoods & Socio-Economic Inclusion Health & Nutrition Mental Health & Psychosocial Support Education
