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Who is in the country?
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Mandate: UNHCR is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country. In the country since: 1992 At a glance: Came to Macedonia at the request of the Government of Macedonia to help deal with the Bosnian refugee influx. An accord de siege was signed in 1993.
In its 2007 programme is seeking: - To support the Government and other national actors to ensure international standards of protection are met for all persons of concern to UNHCR taking into account their age, gender or personal background by:
- improving protection against refoulement and physical security and reducing incidents of violence, in particular preventing and responding to sexual and gender-based violence,
- ensuring civil, social and economic rights are secured and opportunities for self-reliance maximized with particular attention to the rights of women and children including the right to education.
- To advocate for and support the Government in the development and maintenance of an international protection regime including its implementation at the national level.
- To provide care and maintenance to the refugees in the country while redoubling the search for durable solutions by giving priority to:
- facilitating volontary repatriation to homes of origin when possible
- strenghtening local integration as a durable solution
- fostering the reduction, elimination and prevention of situations of statelessness in line with international standards.
- To strengthen the emergency preparedness and response capacity of UNHCR/Macedonia in coordination with UNHCR offices in the region and to assist the Government of Macedonia in responding to such emergencies.
- To foster partnerships and complementarities between UNHCR, the Macedonian Government institutions, NGOs, the UN system agencies and relevant international, regional and EU institutions as the essential platform for responding to the challenges of protecting refugees. In addition, ensuring that the Government assumes a primary management and delivery role in protecting and assisting asylum seekers and refugees as called for under the Law on Asylum and Temporary Protection
- To strengthen UNHCHR's external relations through improved public information, public awareness, media relations and fund raising.
UNHCR is intensively involved in developing a legal and institutional asylum and reception framework in Macedonia that meets international and European standards in terms of legislative reform, capacity-and institution-building and in developing regional co-operation.
Currently provides basic multi-sector assistance to asylum seekers and refugees in private accommodations throughout the country. The assistance includes a monthly subsistence allowance for food, shelter and utilities, heating fuel during the winter months, basic non-food items, as well as health and community services targeting mainly refugee women, children and those with special vulnerabilities.
In Macedonia is involved in cross-border co-operation with UNHCR Kosovo to facilitate voluntary repatriation to homes of origin in Kosovo. Go-and-See and Come-and-Inform visits are organized on a regular basis in this context.
Invests efforts, together with the OSCE and the Council of Europe, in the establishment and implementation of a wide-ranging legal and administrative framework in line with international standards, addressing issues arising from the dissolution of the former SFRY, particularly preventing and reducing statelessness, thus making the acquisition of an effective citizenship and personal documentation by long-term habitual residents easier.
Is engaged with national and international partners, civil society in particular local NGOs , whose capacity it strives to strengthen, as well as the refugees themselves – for the realization of all planned activities.
2007 budget: USD 3,085,829
Contacts: UNHCR Representation Tel: +389 2 3118 641 Fax: +389 2 3131 040 Address : Zeleznicka 53, 1000 Skopje,
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