30 October 2009 → Minsk to host Tolerance and Refugee Protection conference 30 October
A round table conference, Refugee Protection and Issues of Tolerance in Multicultural Society, will be held in Minsk by the United Nations High Commissioner Office for Refugees (UNHCR) in Belarus, the International Relations Department of the Belarusian State University (BSU) and the International Non-Governmental Association for Scientific Research, Information and Educational Programmes Evolutio, BelTA learnt from the Evolutio association. Taking part in the event will be Sholeh Safavi, representative of the UNHCR Office in Belarus, Jean-Eric Holzapfel, representative of the European Commission in Belarus, Viktor Shadursky, chairman of the Supervisory Board and project manager of the Evolutio association, Alexander Shimbalev, head of the educational department of the Minsk Eparchy, officials from the Interior, Education, Labor and Social Protection Ministries, representatives of the international public organizations, refugee communities, scientists and school teachers and university professors. The experts are set to discuss the integration of refugees, foreign citizens and stateless persons into the Belarusian society. The conference will highlight the UNHCR activities, the role of the Education Ministry in promoting tolerance, training of migration and asylum experts at the Interior Ministry Academy, and the participation of the Belarusian Orthodox Church in the interfaith dialogue. The external migration has turned into a widespread phenomenon of the international life. The migration greatly influences both the national population processes and the social and economic development of the states. An efficient state migration policy is needed to cope with the problem. Since 1997 some 3,300 people have applied for asylum in Belarus. More than 800 of them were recognized as refugees. Most of them came from the non-CIS countries, primarily from Afghanistan. A lot of refugees have become the citizens of Belarus recently. According to the Belarusian law, a foreigner may apply for the Belarusian citizenship after seven years after he was granted the status of a refugee. The UNHCR office in Belarus was opened in Belarus in 1995 to help the government create an asylum system that meets the international standards. In 2009-2010 the UNHCR implements the technical assistance project aimed at the local integration of refugees. The budget of the project is ?650,000. News provided by Agency 'BelTA' Read similar newsGerman-language programs of Belarus radio station to be aired live in GermanyCommittee for celebration of Chopin Year set up in Belarus Foreigners might stay unregistered in Belarus up to one week New Children of Chernobyl project launched in Belarus IOM, Belarusian and Latvian border services to discuss programs of voluntary return of migrants |
