The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Representation in Cyprus is an office of the

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrati ...

(UNHCR) opened in August 1974 upon the request of the Government of

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...

and the

Secretary-General of the United Nations The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations. The role of the secretary-g ...

. UNHCR Representation in Cyprus was designated as Coordinator of the United Nations Humanitarian Assistance for Cyprus. UNHCR was also responsible upon the request of the Cyprus Government to examine applications for

refugee status A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

. Simultaneously, UNHCR assisted the Government in developing their national legislation and procedure for the examination of asylum claims. The law came into life in 2000 and in January 2002 the Cyprus Government started receiving and processing asylum applications. The UNHCR Representation in Cyprus offices are located in the United Nations Protected Area (UNPA), where the

United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) is a United Nations peacekeeping force that was established under United Nations Security Council Resolution 186 in 1964 to prevent a recurrence of fighting following intercommunal violen ...

(UNFICYP) is based. Access to UNPA is restricted and tightly controlled by UNFIYP, through check points and other forms of

surveillance Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as ...

History

1974–1997

UNHCR has been assisting in Cyprus since 1974. At the request of the Government of Cyprus (GoC) and the

United Nations Secretary General The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations. The role of the secretary-g ...

(UN-SG), UNHCR operated programs for

internally displaced persons An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who is forced to leave their home but who remains within their country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the legal definitions of a refugee. A ...

(IDP) till 1998. This assistance included provision of housing and small industries as well as promotion of projects and bi-communal activities, in order to remedy the shortages created due to population displacements and to encourage co-operation between

Greek Cypriots Greek Cypriots or Cypriot Greeks ( el, Ελληνοκύπριοι, Ellinokýprioi, tr, Kıbrıs Rumları) are the ethnic Greek population of Cyprus, forming the island's largest ethnolinguistic community. According to the 2011 census, 659,115 ...

and

Turkish Cypriots Turkish Cypriots or Cypriot Turks ( tr, Kıbrıs Türkleri or ''Kıbrıslı Türkler''; el, Τουρκοκύπριοι, Tourkokýprioi) are ethnic Turks originating from Cyprus. Following the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571, about 30,0 ...

towards a unified approach as regards issues of common concern. This function lasted till 1997. Since its establishment in 1974 and until June 1998, the UNHCR Representation in Cyprus office received a small number of applications for refugee status per year. In 1998, however, boats with persons claiming fear for their lives or serious violations of their

human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

in their countries of origin started arriving in Cyprus asking for

asylum Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent Asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea ...

1998–2002

Since 1998, UNHCR Cyprus has worked on its regular mandate (international refugees), as the designated authority charged with supervising the implementation of the 1951 Refugee Convention. The

UN General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...

(UN-GA) Resolution establishing UNHCR, as well as the 1951

Refugee Convention The Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, also known as the 1951 Refugee Convention or the Geneva Convention of 28 July 1951, is a United Nations multilateral treaty that defines who a refugee is, and sets out the rights of individuals ...

(that is binding on the Cyprus Republic), call for cooperation between the Governments and the UNHCR. During that period, UNHCR Representation in Cyprus was heavily concentrated in supporting the efforts of the GoC to develop an asylum system and an asylum space in Cyprus. Since 1998 till 2002 UNHCR simultaneously undertook

Refugee Status A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

Determination (RSD), resettled the recognized refugees in other countries, assisted in the drafting of the national refugee legislation, assisted in the configuration of the required institutions for its

implementation Implementation is the realization of an application, or execution of a plan, idea, model, design, specification, standard, algorithm, or policy. Industry-specific definitions Computer science In computer science, an implementation is a real ...

, and trained such institutions. In 2002 the GoC started undertaking RSD on its own. The first Refugee Law enacted in

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

in 2000 has been amended in 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2007 by transposing the

EU directives A directive is a legal act of the European Union that requires member states to achieve a particular result without dictating the means of achieving that result. Directives first have to be enacted into national law by member states before thei ...

aiming at harmonising the asylum space in the EU along common minimum standards. UNHCR has closely advised in the process of transposing each of these directives through direct guidance to the drafters (being the Asylum Service or the

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

office), as well as in the process of amending laws that should include sections on refugees.

Since 2002

UNHCR Cyprus undertakes RSD training each time new Eligibility Officers (EO) are recruited at the Asylum Service (thereafter AS) and Reviewing Authority (thereafter RA –an independent body). In addition, it trains cadets in the police academy twice a year as well as holding refreshment sessions for

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, ...

police once a year. Advice on individual cases and on-the-job training are also part of the UNHCR training activities. UNHCR contributed to the development of the European Refugee Fund (ERF -managed by the Ministry of Interior) annual and multi-annual strategy for Cyprus and participated in the selection committee for ERF project awards in 2005 and 2006. In 2006, it undertook the training of

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

s coming in contact with

asylum seekers An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country and applies for asylum (i.e., international protection) in that other country. An asylum seeker is an immigrant who has been forcibly displaced and ...

and

refugees A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

, and the training of teachers on asylum as a human right in the context of a project on European citizenship. UNHCR has closely advised the AS and the RA in particular towards sound policy and practice towards applicants from

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

and Palestine in light of the particular current circumstances. UNHCR assisted in the transposition of the

EU directive The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...

on the minimum standards for the reception conditions (transposed in December 2005), the transposition of the EU qualifications directive (transposed in July 2006), and of the EU procedures directive. This process entailed the provision of a written commentary on the draft law, presenting views in the various sessions as called by the Parliament, providing written statements to the Parliament when these are necessary to complement the oral statements, conducting sessions with members of the committees as requested. Similar tasks have been performed in regards to other minor directives and amendments to national legislation related to asylum (such as the public allowance law and the legal aid law). UNHCR also conducts surveys regarding the situation of persons of concern. In 2004, the office conducted several meetings with refugees residing in Cyprus and issued a report “The Situation of Refugees in Cyprus from a Refugee Perspective”. It also undertook a participatory assessment among refugees, persons granted subsidiary protection, and asylum seekers in November 2005. The participatory assessment was updated from June until September 2006 and focused specifically on female refugees and asylum seekers. UNHCR Representation in Cyprus undertook the following surveys: in the first quarter of 2006 on the use of lawyers by asylum seekers, from September until December on the quality of public allowance among those a/s and refugees who succeed in receiving it, from February through June 2007 on the enjoyment of public allowance and other entitlements by Iraqi refugees and persons granted subsidiary protection and in 2008 on the training needs of refugees and persons granted subsidiary protection.

Activities

World Refugee Day

To mark WRD, the Representation organized a cultural evening which was opened by the First Lady of the Republic of Cyprus and addressed by the President of the Palestinian community in Cyprus who shared her refugee experience. Young refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Palestinians ex Iraq shared their experience through photos and music. Cypriot students displayed a short theatrical performance which addressed asylum, migration and xenophobia. The event encouraged the interaction of refugees with the local community and vice versa. Such events tend to enhance the process of integration and the feeling of belonging in the new community. For the local community this was an opportunity to see a different picture of refugees, one which is usually not portrayed by the majority of the media. On this year's World Refugee Day, a special session of the Youth Parliament on the theme “Children Refugees – Children Immigrants – The Cypriot Reality” took place at the House of Representatives. The young parliamentarians presented their findings on issues affecting the children of asylum seekers, recognized refugees and immigrants residing in Cyprus. The special session was the result of a collaboration between the UNHCR and the local NGO Pancyprian Council for Children's Welfare. Preparations for the session commenced beginning of 2010. All proposals were also passed to the attendees of the special session.

Assisting refugees in integration mentoring programs

In addition, the UNHCR Representation in Cyprus has developed a number of mentoring programmes and integration processes: *''Coaching'': In collaboration with several private companies, the Representation has initiated a voluntary coaching program that aims to familiarize refugees with Cypriot working culture through the improvement of their communication and presentation skills. A related story can be found on the blog: www.unhcr-Cyprus.blogspot.com *''Language programs'': In collaboration with the School of Modern Greek at the University of Cyprus, the Representation secures placements for recognized refugees to receive intensive language courses through generous fee waiving. *''Information Centre'': In an effort to facilitate the integration process of refugees, the Representation is also temporarily acting as an information centre, collecting and disseminating all possible information and announcements in relation to language, computer programs and other possibilities for vocational training in Nicosia and other areas. *''Employment Opportunities'': In an attempt to enhance awareness and understanding of the employment rights of refugees, the Representation has collaborated with the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Cyprus Employers and Industrialists Federation, both of which have published an article in their monthly publication with regards to refugee employment rights.

Plans

In the years to come, UNHCR Cyprus will continue its activities aimed at enhancing the protection space for

and

refugees A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

. At the same time, it is equally important to continue sharing information, policies and know-how with governmental and non-governmental actors with a view to improve their capacity to respond to the needs of asylum seekers and refugees. UNHCR Cyprus would like to see more lawyers providing high quality counselling to asylum applicants, either through free legal counselling (as an in-kind contribution) by registered lawyers or through further development of

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

capacity. It will also pursue more projects to enhance the understanding of the refugee problem among the Cypriot society. Misinformation in the country of asylum will only exacerbate the suffering of refugees, who have already experienced enough pain after having lost their homes and loved ones as a result of who they are or what they believe. UNHCR representation in Cyprus has in addition a mandate to mobilize resources, both for the country field operations as well as for the UNHCR's operations around the world.

Functions

Ensure adherence to international refugee law standards

UNHCR contributes technical and worldwide expertise to the Cypriot Government in the processing of individual examination of applications for asylum, with the aim to ensure that the decisions are in accordance with international

standards. For this same purpose, UNHCR partially funds NGOs to provide gender based assistance, as well as

legal advice Legal advice is the giving of a professional or formal opinion regarding the substance or procedure of the law in relation to a particular factual situation. The provision of legal advice will often involve analyzing a set of facts and advising a ...

to carefully selected asylum applicants for their appeals and access to the rights granted in the national law.

Government advice

UNHCR advises governments by providing comments on related legislative drafts, such as on the transposition of

for the

harmonization In music, harmonization is the chordal accompaniment to a line or melody: "Using chords and melodies together, making harmony by stacking scale tones as triads". A harmonized scale can be created by using each note of a musical scale as a root ...

of the European refugee system.

Training

UNHCR provides training to actors involved in the protection of refugees (police officers, officers who examine applications for refugee status, lawyers, civil servants responsible for the effective implementation of the related rights, etc.) and

advocates An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...

for the improvement of the quality of the asylum system. UNHCR provides legal aid to well selected asylum applicants through a project undertaken by an NGO called Future Worlds Center. Legal aid became available for asylum seekers and refugees in 2009, subsequent to an amendment of the Legal Aid Law. In particular, the Law now allows for the provision of legal aid in recourses to the Supreme Court against a negative decision by the Asylum Service (before the decision is challenged by the Reviewing Authority), or a negative decision by the Reviewing Authority. Legal aid will only be provided for recourses at a first instance at the Supreme Court, not for subsequent revisory appeals and there must be a possibility of a positive decision on the appeal, i.e. to prove that the applicant has a good case. An asylum seeker interested in order to activate an entitlement to legal aid, he/she must submit an application to the District Court. The District Court shall grant the legal aid where two conditions are met: (a) a report by the Welfare Office states that the financial situation of the applicant (or the guardian of a dependent applicant) is such, that he/she is not able to pay their own legal fees and (b) that the case is deemed to be of such a seriousness that it calls for legal aid in the best interests of justice. Although provisions for legal aid have been introduced for asylum seekers, the access to legal aid is highly restricted due to the lengthy and legally complex procedure of submitting and assessing the application, which includes proving the applicant has a good case. This renders access to legal aid almost impossible without the assistance of a legal advisor.

Supervision

As in all countries, UNHCR Cyprus has a supervisory role under the 1951

in ensuring that the rights of asylum seekers and refugees are duly respected. That means in practice, having access to the asylum procedures, to adequate housing, food, medical treatment and to integration as a long term solution to the refugee plight.

Awareness

UNHCR informs and sensitizes the public on the problem of refugees around the world, and in Cyprus, by disseminating information to the media, and reviewing media reports on

and refugees to ensure accuracy of facts. Public awareness can only have a positive impact on the public understanding. In order to sensitize the general public in Cyprus towards the refugee cause and to prevent

xenophobic Xenophobia () is the fear or dislike of anything which is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression of perceived conflict between an in-group and out-group and may manifest in suspicion by the one of the other's activities, a ...

attitudes and promote tolerance, UNHCR organises public awareness activities (e.g. photo or other exhibitions, concerts, etc.) In reaching young people, UNHCR promotes school activities and disseminates educational material to educators in co-operation with governmental and non-governmental partners.

Refugee issues in Cyprus

Cyprus has been a destination for a consistently increasing number of regular and irregular immigrants. According to national sources, the estimated number of irregular migrants in Cyprus is 50,000. Cyprus enacted national refugee legislation in January 2000 and its asylum institutions started conducting Refugee Status Determination (RSD) in 2002. In 2007, 6,789 persons submitted asylum applications and in 2008, 3,922 persons applied for asylum. The number of the asylum-seekers pending to be examined at the end of 2009 was 5,275. Cyprus and Malta rank first among the industrialized countries in the per capita number of asylum applications. In principle, asylum-seekers are not denied access to Cyprus. Most asylum-seekers, however, do not try to enter the country through official channels, in order to avoid the risk of not being admitted. While the Asylum Service (the first instance body that examines asylum applications and the coordinating body on asylum seekers’ issues) has made considerable progress in setting up the structures and the processes to ensure quality decisions, the reality remains that the number of Eligibility Officers (EOs) against the number of applicants is still objectively insufficient. This is clearly substantiated by the fact that at the end of 2008, there were 8,005 cases pending to be decided. Other problems related to refugees issues in Cyprus are the following: * Asylum lawyers are virtually non-existent and provision of free legal counselling by NGOs is insufficient * The high number of asylum applicants has caused difficulties for the welfare services to provide for the minimum reception conditions as set out in the Reception Condition Regulations of 2005. * Labour offices are to refer asylum seekers to jobs but the number of referrals is very low. * Integration programs such as language and

vocational A vocation () is an occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. People can be given information about a new occupation through student orientation. Though now often used in non-religious c ...

training appear to be insufficiently disseminated among asylum seekers and refugees. Moreover, the practical difficulties faced by refugees are not sufficiently taken into account when it comes to the organization of such programs. * There are no alternatives to administrative detention. * There is only one reception center in the country with a capacity limited to 80 people. Regarding the situation in the north part of Cyprus which the Government of Cyprus does not have de facto control, there are no socio-economic data available. Persons of certain nationalities are detained and deported as soon as possible, most of the time without being given an opportunity to distinguish irregular migrants from persons suffering persecution. The overwhelming majority of those individuals who succeed in entering into the north without being detected, cross the " Green Line" and apply to the Government of Cyprus. Applicants in the north are examined by UNHCR.Solving the Cyprus proble
Solving the Cyprus problem
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References

UNHCR Official web site

UNHCR Representation in Greece official web site
* "UNHCR in Cyprus at a glance", UNHCR Representation in Cyprus. * "Activities of UNHCR in Cyprus under its mandate from 1998 - 2002", UNHCR Representation in Cyprus. * UNHCR Representation in Cyprus various documents.

External links

UNHCR Official web site

UNHCR Representation in Cyprus blog

UNHCR Representation in Greece official web site

E-game ''taxidifygis'' official web site (translated in Greek)

English version (againstallodds) of E-game ''taxidifygis'' official web site

{{Diplomatic missions in Cyprus Cypriot refugees United Nations operations in Cyprus United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 1974 establishments in Cyprus