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UNHCR Serbia Update, March 2019

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Serbia
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UNHCR
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  • UNHCR welcomed the Asylum Office of the Ministry of Interior ruling on 15 applications for asylum during March, granting protection to 11 and rejecting four. So far, during the first quarter of 2019, the Asylum Office recognised needs for international protection of 25 asylum seekers in Serbia, granting 11 refugee and 14 subsidiary status, which equals the total number of persons granted protection during the whole of last year. Amongst these 25 refugees, 20 benefitted from legal representation, and three from psychological assessments under the UNHCR project. Also, the Asylum Office requested four Best Interest Determinations for unaccompanied or separated asylum seeking children from guardians under the UNHCR project.

  • On 7 March, a man from Algeria, who had been accommodated in a government transit centre in West Serbia, perished in a tragic accident on the Sid train station at Serbia-Croatia border. Attempting to climb a train wagon, he touched the overhead high voltage cables and died on the spot.

  • On 12 March, the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs (MoLEVSA), UNHCR and UNICEF organized a Round Table on the Protection of Unaccompanied and Separated Children in Serbia – A Call for Action. An unaccompanied refugee child from Iraq joined the Minister, EU Ambassador and UN Representatives to open the roundtable, before international experts from EASO, UNICEF and UNHCR presented good practices and minimum standards for the protection and care of unaccompanied and separated children (UASC). Participants praised achievement made in Serbia so far and recommended the development of a multi-sectoral protocol and a concrete plan of actions to continue improving the response to the specific needs of unaccompanied and separatedrefugee and migrant children.  525 UASC benefitted from guardianship under the UNHCR project and MOU with MOLEVSA. 433 UASC were accommodated in Asylum Centres and 41 in specialized centres for children and two NGO-run facilities.

  • 19-20 March, UNHCR hosted a seminar on “European Court for Human Rights - Standards of Refugee Protection” for asylum authorities (Asylum Office, Asylum Commission and Administrative Court) and legal partners, facilitated by an expert on immigration and asylum law specialized in international litigation.

  • Film maker Aleksandar Aleksic won the 1st prize of the annual Dhaka International Inter-University Short Film Festival for his short movie “Anywhere” that was themed on the recent refugee influx to Serbia. On 14 March at a small ceremony in UN House Belgrade, the UNHCR Representative, handed Mr Aleksic the prize.

  • A second training of 16 Young Roma UNVs, including internally displaced persons, took place in Belgrade on 18-19 March 2019. These trainings are part of the joint UNHCR/UNDP young Roma social inclusion Project, aiming at training of young Roma men and women and their subsequent employment in local institutions.

  • Continuing implementation of its comprehensive Action Plan for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), UNHCR conducted focus group discussions to raise awareness on PSEA with residents of centres in Bujanovac, Vranje, Bosilegrad. Obrenovac and Bogovadja.