BREST, 30 August (BelTA) – The number of applications for refugee status in Belarus has dropped considerably, UNHCR Representative in Belarus Jean-Yves Bouchardy told reporters as he visited a temporary stay center for asylum seekers in Brest.
“The number of refugee status applications is falling. While in 2015 the number stood at 1,242, since the beginning of 2016 we have registered only 393 applications. Brest Oblast has received the smallest number of applications compared to other regions of Belarus, just 36. The applicants are mainly Ukrainian nationals. There is also an Afghan family, an Eritrean citizen and a Croatian national,” Jean-Yves Bouchardy said.
The UNHCR Representative is currently in Brest on a two-day visit. He visited the temporary stay center for asylum seekers on the territory of the Brest border group and met with an Afghan family with six children, five of whom are of school age. Jean-Yves Bouchardy gave the kids schoolbags with stationery supplies from UNHCR and UNICEF.
The UNHCR Representative also met with partners from the Brest Oblast Office of the Belarusian Red Cross Society to discuss prospects of integration of asylum seekers, issues of employment, housing and language training. “In Belarus, only 35 out of 2,000 persons of our concern are unemployed. The number is not big, and we are looking for jobs for these remaining 35 individuals. We closely cooperate with the Red Cross Society, labor, employment and social security committees, and large companies,” Jean-Yves Bouchardy said. He added that he will visit Santa Bremor to meet with the company's director and discuss if there are employment opportunities for refugees.
