On 13 July in Sarajevo, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, organized a reception in honour of the UN Assistant Secretary-General and Assistant High Commissioner for Protection of UNHCR Ms Gillian Triggs mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Representatives of the BiH authorities, the United States, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, UN agencies, and civil society organizations gathered to learn more about her observations from the visit to BiH. Two of UNHCR’s persons of concern were also present to share their experiences with the asylum process and integration and their messages of hope with the international community.
The evening was opened by UNHCR Representative in BiH Ms Lucie Gagné, who gave a warm welcome to the UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Protection. Ms Gagné continued to welcome the persons of concern, highlighting the gratitude for their presence because they are at the core of UNHCR’s work.
Next, an asylum-seeker shared his experience fleeing the increased violence in his region in Afghanistan and the perilous journey he took to reach safety before arriving in BiH in 2019. He talked about the challenges he faced to access the asylum procedure in BiH, including waiting more than two years to be registered by the authorities and having to move between reception centers in Sarajevo and Una-Sana Cantons. Now registered and awaiting a refugee status determination interview, he is feeling positive about his future prospects in BiH and hopes to complete his education, and in his current position as a cultural mediator, continue to give back to those in need.
The next speaker was a young man from Aleppo granted subsidiary protection in BiH after fleeing the war in Syria. As a Peer-to-Peer educator with UNHCR, he actively supports other people on the move arriving in BiH by sharing his experience and information about the asylum process in BiH. During his speech, he emphasized the importance of patience regarding the asylum procedure and shared his gratefulness to the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who have supported him in building a life here and contributing to society. He also mentioned that despite the fact that he is not entitled to travel documents with his current status, he remains optimistic that he will ultimately be issued a passport and be able to travel freely.
Ms Gillian Triggs thanked everyone for their participation and welcoming her in the country. During her visits to temporary reception centres Ušivak, Borići, and Lipa, she saw a range of contexts in which people are protected and cared for, and praised the cooperation between the authorities, UN agencies, and civil society organizations for supporting people on the move. She shared key findings and recommendations about early identification of protection needs, additional accommodation facilities for vulnerable populations, improving the effectiveness and timeliness of the asylum system, and the importance of local integration. She mentioned that: “we want to work more strongly together with the government to improve the asylum process”. Moreover, she highlighted that it is very encouraging that the BiH authorities are taking on a significant responsibility regarding the construction of the Lipa reception centre, where 1,500 migrants, asylum-seekers, and refugees can be accommodated in the future and will have access to services.
After the speeches, the guests had the opportunity to personally meet with Ms Triggs and further discuss the mixed movement situation in BiH and the way forward. Furthermore, Ms Triggs continued a conversation with the persons of concern to better understand their needs and experiences and to ensure their feedback is incorporated into UNHCR’s approach to protect and support all people the UN Refugee Agency works for.
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