UNHCR has been assisting refugees in Slovakia for 30 years

Bratislava, 14 May 2024 - The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic today hosted a ceremony to mark the 30th anniversary of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Slovakia, highlighting its role and cooperation with Slovak government authorities and partner organizations. Over the past three decades, UNHCR has supported significant activities at the national level to protect refugees and other persons in need.

"Thanks to the joint efforts and activities of the Government of the Slovak Republic and UNHCR, we have achieved positive results in favour of refugees," said Philippe Leclerc, Director of the UNHCR Regional Bureau for Europe, at the beginning of his speech, while stating: "Thanks to our continued cooperation and solidarity, we can build a more inclusive and compassionate society for all."

Marek Eštok, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, highlighted the cooperation with UNHCR in Slovakia. "We highly appreciate that UNHCR has been giving hope to people who involuntarily leave their homes for 30 years in our country. We are not indifferent to the fate of refugees and we particularly appreciate the operational and financial support that UNHCR has provided to the Slovak Republic in coping with the Ukrainian refugee crisis. This was a dramatically new experience for Slovakia - overnight we became a host country receiving tens of thousands of refugees, but together we managed to manage it successfully. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is ready to continue to cooperate intensively with UNHCR," said State Secretary M. Eštok, adding that it is in the common interest that the reasons for which refugees are forced to leave their home countries should continuously decrease.

The cooperation with UNHCR and its importance was also appreciated by the State Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic, Lucia Kurilovská: "Our common goal is to provide refugees with protection and coordinated support in several sectors. We are taking all necessary and important steps to make their integration into society as quick and easy as possible, so that refugees - women, children and men - feel at home here."

During today's event, UNHCR and the Slovak Post also presented a commemorative stamp that was specially issued to mark the 30th anniversary of the Office's presence in Slovakia. The event also included a panel discussion with current and former UNHCR staff in Slovakia who shared their experiences and memories of the past three decades. In addition to representatives of state authorities, the diplomatic community and civil society, refugee women and refugees living in Slovakia accepted the invitation. The event was co-organized with UNHCR by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic with the support of the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic.

On 1 March 1994, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Slovak Republic signed an agreement concerning the legal status, immunities and privileges of UNHCR and its staff in the Slovak Republic. UNHCR has been working closely with State authorities, including local and municipal authorities, UN agencies and national partners for 30 years. In Slovakia, the Office is based in Bratislava, with a field office in Košice.

(Please see the original Press Release of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic)

Contact: Martina Matejová, Assistant External Relations Officer, [email protected], +421 949 489 441