2020 Information Bulletin
January-March
▪Bulgaria’s progress in 2019 on the refugee resettlement and involvement of local authorities in the refugee integration process
▪Up-to-date statistics on international protection granted for the period from January to March 2020.
▪Collaboration with municipalities and local authorities to build sustainable partnerships:
Establishment of municipal center for the information and integration of third-country nationals; Information session organized by the Bulgarian Red Cross for municipalities working with resettled refugees; Refugee housing: good practices, challenges and opportunities for local authorities; The topic of refugee integration presented at the first annual meeting of public mediators in the country
▪Development the capacity of civil society structures: Creating an Association of Bulgarian Language Teachers as a Foreign Language
▪Collaboration with the academic community: Coalition Meeting “Opportunities for Cooperation with Academic Institutions on the Topic of Asylum and Refugees”; Specialized research “Opportunities for cooperation with academic institutions in the refugee and asylum field”; Academic Portal “Forced Migration and Refugees” www.academia.refugee-integration.bg;
Interactive Exhibition “Identity” presented at the American University in Blagoevgrad
▪Media and NGOs Workshop with Nick Thorpe – BBC Correspondent for Central Europe
▪Opportunities for EU-funded refugee integration activities
▪Innovations in support of organizations working with refugees and migrants: An updated EU toolkit for profiling third-country nationals
Information for organizations working in the field of refugee integration in Bulgaria
April – June
Refugees in the COVID-19 situation
▪The impact of the situation on the integration of refugees in Bulgaria, emerging needs and challenges
▪ The response of the Bulgarian organizations to deal with the challenges of the current situation
June 20 – World Refugee Day
▪Online exhibition “Beyond Differences”, organized by UNHCR – UN Refugee Agency
▪Online quiz, organized by the Bulgarian Council for Refugees and Migrants and Multi Culti Collective
▪Student happening on the occasion of June 1 – Day of all children and June 20 World Refugee Day
Long-term integration of refugees in Bulgaria and Europe
▪European benchmark for refugee integration – The new summary report on the project NIEM – National mechanism for assessment of the integration of refugees
▪ Study of the Committee of the Regions “Integration of migrants in medium and small towns and rural areas in Europe”
Management of integration and policy development
▪Analysis of the European Website on Integration (EWSI) on the policies for the integration of refugees and migrants in the EU.
▪ Non-governmental organizations with a common opinion on the Draft Action Plan for 2020 for the implementation of the National Strategy in the field of migration, asylum and integration (2015-2020)
Inclusion of refugees in policy development with a focus on urban integration
▪ The newly established UN Refugee Agency Refugee Advisory Council
Development of the information infrastructure
▪The latest website with information on the rights and obligations of newly recognized refugees and persons with humanitarian status www.refugee.bg
The Academic Community and solutions for refugee integration
▪Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants and UNHCR – UN Refugee Agency presented the first issue of the Academic Bulletin “Refugees: Today and Tomorrow”
Support for the unaccompanied refugee and migrant children
▪Miniila – The mobile application, specially adapted for the needs of unaccompanied children in migration
July-September
Statistics for granted international protection in Bulgaria for the period July-August 2020
Inclusion of refugee children in the Bulgarian educational system
▪Refugee children and the beginning of the school year
▪Good practices and specifics for working with children seeking and receiving international protection
Development of the potential of the civil society for integration of refugees
▪Information session “Civil society structures for the integration of refugees in Bulgaria”
▪Establishment of an Association of Bulgarian Language Teachers as a Foreign Language
Transfer and experience of good practices
▪ The new issue “Good practices for integration of refugees through education and culture”, developed by Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants
Culture as a common language
▪Aiman Al Hares Exhibition “Shivers from the East”, presented by the Bulgarian Red Cross, UNHCR and the Refugee Advisory Council
Involvement of refugees in the decision-making process and accountability to them
▪ UNHCR – UN Refugee Agency pilot for the first time an online survey of the needs of refugees by age, gender and social group
▪The Refugee Advisory Board with the first project for a campaign to counter the rumours
A new beginning for migration policies in the European Union
▪ Adoption of a new pact on migration and asylum
Participation in the development of sustainable policies at European level
▪Public consultation on the integration and inclusion of migrants and people with a migrant background continues
October – December
In the publication you will find information on the following topics:
Statistics on granted international protection in Bulgaria for the period January-December 2020
Development of European integration policies
▪European Commission presents new EU action plan for integration and inclusion (2021-2027)
Cooperation between NGOs and local authorities for the integration of refugees
▪Information session with representatives of municipalities and local authorities “Partnership for Integration of Refugees in Bulgaria”
▪ “Together for integration” – the beginning of a joint project of the Bulgarian Red Cross, Nadia Center Foundation, Vitosha Region and Oborishte Region of Sofia Municipality
▪The topic for the integration of refugees during the General Assembly of the Association of Bulgarian Cities and Regions
Education of refugee children
▪Education of refugee children during a pandemic — good practices, lessons learned and next steps
Refugees in the context of the pandemic – from an emergency response to sustainable protection and integration
▪ UNHCR Global Consultations with NGOs in 2020 on Pandemic Response
▪Bulgarian Response: National Forum “Protection and Integration of Refugees in the Context of COVID-19”
Development of the capacity of the civil society for integration of refugees in Bulgaria
▪ Joint seminar with the Association of Teachers of Bulgarian as a Foreign Language: “Bulgarian as a Foreign Language in a Pandemic. Communication and integration of refugees and migrants Opportunities for financing integration projects ▪Call for projects “Promoting the participation of migrants in integration policies” under the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund of the European Commission The private sector and the integration of refugees – more than economic integration
▪ UNHCR – UN Refugee Agency and KATRO Bulgaria with a joint online session “Support to Refugees in Bulgaria: Opportunities for Cooperation with the Private Sector”
▪ CITUB and Sofia Development Association with a joint project for integration of refugees in the labor market and the role of municipalities
▪Humans in the Loop – a social enterprise providing training and employment to refugees with an award from the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy
A look at the culture of the countries from which the refugees come
▪Sofia MENAR Film Festival will once again present the culture and traditions of the Islamic world
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