UN suggests that Belarus takes Syrian refugees

REUTERS

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees encourages Belarus to share the burden of responsibility for and care of forced Syrian migrants.

Jean-Yves Bouchardy, Representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the Republic of Belarus, pointed out that Belarus, unlike EU states, has no great inflow of Syrian refugees.

A high-level meeting with representatives of many countries will be organized by the UNHCR in late March 2016. As part of the meeting governments will be encouraged to share the burden of responsibility for and care of forced migrants, primarily those from Syria. Belarus will also be invited to the event.

The relevant documents are supposed to be signed during the meeting. “It is possible that a new program may be developed for Belarus that will cover not only Gomel Oblast but the entire country. Belarus may be expected to welcome 50 or maybe 100 Syrian refugees,” he noted.

Several refugee families from Syria now live in Gomel Oblast.

“The project can be called a success on the whole. The authorities have agreed to share the burden of responsibility for aiding Syrian refugees. These people have lived for a year here already. Today we are going to visit those families and see how effectively these people are being integrated into the Belarusian society, what progress has been secured since their arrival,” noted Jean-Yves Bouchardy.