Events

MINSK, 20 June (BelTA) - The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Belarus will conduct a study to examine the Belarusian attitudes towards refugees, UNHCR Representative in Belarus Jean-Yves Bouchardy told reporters, BelTA has learnt.

“We are planning to conduct a study to examine the tolerance of Belarusians to refugees. I think that the results of the study will be made available in 2017. The field work will begin in the second half of 2016,” he said.

According to him, the Belarusians treat well those who come to their country and who need help. “I have traveled to the regions and seen how Belarusians help and support forced migrants from Ukraine, nationals of other states, for example from Syria,” Jean-Yves Bouchardy noted.

Speaking of Belarus’ contribution to solving global problems of refugees, Jean-Yves Bouchardy said that in 2014 Belarus hosted about 160,000 citizens of Ukraine. Together with the Interior Ministry the UNCHR implemented a humanitarian project to resettle three families of Syrian refugees from Lebanon – all in all 14 people, of whom 8 are children under 10.

In 2016, some 228 Ukrainians and 10 Syrians applied for refugee status and subsidiary protection in Belarus, informed Mikhail Grib, Deputy Head of the Citizenship and Migration Department of the Belarusian Interior Ministry.