Select a language for this section:
Slovenia acceded to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, and the 1967 Protocol in 1992. UNHCR covers Slovenia out of its regional office in Budapest.
In 2012, 305 people applied for asylum in Slovenia including 53 unaccompanied minors and children separated from families. Twenty asylum-seekers were granted refugee status and 14 people received complementary protection. The majority of these asylum-seekers came from Afghanistan, Syria, Turkey, Algeria and Kosovo.
In order to ensure that asylum-seekers are able to enter Slovenia and have access to asylum procedures, UNHCR and an NGO partner have been monitoring Slovenia’s borders since 2008. The agency also works to provide foreigners entering the country with information on legal counselling and protection.
In 2010, UNHCR took part in the Asylum Quality Assurance and Evaluation Mechanism project, which evaluated refugee status determination procedures in the country, and played a vital role in developing and improving Slovenia’s asylum system and the decision-making of its officials.
Helping Slovenia to establish quality control mechanisms in the asylum system is a priority for the agency. To this end, UNHCR has sponsored seminars, conferences, and trainings for judges responsible for hearing asylum issues.
UNHCR regularly advises the government on legislation affecting refugees and asylum-seekers. Since 2005, the agency has carried out participatory assessments as part of its global Age, Gender and Diversity strategy. As a result of these inspections of reception and accommodation facilities, there has been slow but drastic improvement in both the treatment of asylum-seekers, and refugee integration. Following an amendment to a 2010 law, asylum-seekers now receive pocket money from the state, and can take jobs nine months after lodging their asylum application.
During its work, the agency considers the protection of women, children and other vulnerable groups a high priority, and has strived both to prevent and address sexual and gender-based violence. It participates in a working group to combat sexual and gender-based violence, and organizes training to address this important issue.
One of UNHCR’s main activities in Slovenia is encouraging the participation of stakeholders in the asylum system, particularly government agencies and civil society groups involved in refugee integration. UNHCR encourages the Slovene government make refugee integration part of its broader integration policies, which apply to migrants and EU nationals.
UNHCR encourages Slovenia to develop a resettlement programme. Slovenia has ratified the 1954 Convention on Statelessness, but is not a party to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. The agency urges Slovenia to adopt the 1961 Convention.
UNHCR is also looking for durable solution to the problem of people who remained in Slovenia without a legal status after the country’s declaration of independence in 1991. These people were members of former Yugoslavia, and many have been in Slovenia since the break-up of this country.
UNHCR’s work in Slovenia is supported by public information campaigns over the news media, and website. UNHCR enjoys on-going partnerships with key institutions in the government, judiciary as well as among NGOs and the civil-society institutions.
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter