The issues of refugees and readmission were discussed in Transcarpathia

October 8, the interagency meeting on the protection of asylum seekers during the implementation of the Agreement between the European Community and Ukraine on Readmission was held in Uzhgorod. The event was organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Pilot monitoring initiative for readmission in Ukraine and Pakistan (MONITOR).

The event was attended by representatives of the migration service of the region, the secretariat of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, the Western regional office of the State Border Guard Service, Uzhgorod and Mukachevo city and district courts.

 The participants of the event were welcomed by experts of the IOM Lidiya Kuzmenko and the UNHCR in Ukraine Dmytro Plehko. It was noted that the main purpose of the interagency meeting is to develop an effective mechanism for the protection of refugees in the context of the Agreement between Ukraine and the EU on Readmission, to study the efficiency of readmissions and opportunities of its improvement. It is in the border regions where the legislation on persons, who are returned to Ukraine from the EU, is applied, shortcomings are identified, the needs of readmitted people are assessed.

The head of the department for refugees and social integration of the Main Office of the SMS of Ukraine in Transcarpathian region Mykola Tovt told about the situation with asylum seekers in Transcarpathia. Since the beginning of the year, 99 foreigners and stateless persons have applied to the migration service for protection. The vast majority are citizens of Afghanistan, Somalia and Syria. 45 refugees and persons granted additional protection are currently registered. The main problems are lack of qualified translators, lack of a unified information system for asylum seekers.

Following the interagency meeting, they developed the recommendations that will form the basis for further implementation of the agreement on the readmission of persons in terms of protecting the interests of refugees.