Iraq News Now

• UNHCR and partners counselled over 2,500 asylum-seekers at over thirty sites throughout the country. 326 unaccompanied or separated children (UASC) benefitted from guardianship under the UNHCR project. Eighteen asylum-seekers, including two UASC, signed powers of attorney for UNHCR project lawyers to represent them in asylum procedures.

• 1,658 foreigners registered their intention to seek asylum with the Ministry of Interior (MOI), while 21 lodged substantive asylum claims with the Asylum Office (AO). The AO decided on 11 claims, granting refugee status to one and subsidiary protection to another asylum seeker, while rejecting nine. UNHCR and partners continued to assist the AO with interpretation, cultural mediation and psychological assessments. For the first time since it was constituted in 2012, the second instance Asylum Commission overruled an AO rejection on merits and granted subsidiary protection to one asylum seeker. In the first nine months of 2019, AO granted international protection to 31 asylum seekers (compared to 25 during the whole of 2018) and the Asylum Commission to one asylum seeker.

• One UNHCR partner, the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), alone counselled 98 refugees and asylum seekers on local integration, obtained ID cards for twelve and work permits for three, while UNHCR assisted the integration of 48 with cash-based interventions. To design individual integration plans, the joint Local Integration Team of the Serbian Commissioner for Refugees and Migration (SCRM) and UNHCR continued conducting home visits to all persons granted refugee or subsidiary protection status.

• Supported by UNHCR partners, seven LGBTI asylum seekers and refugees enjoyed joining the Belgrade Pride Parade on 15 September.

• UNHCR discussed support to Serbia’s implementation of the Global Compact for Refugees (GCR) with many stakeholders, including on 10 September with the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Da?i?. On 13 September, UNHCR hosted a meeting of four line-ministries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the SCRM to discuss the preparation of good models and pledges from Serbia for presentation at the Global Refugee Forum that will meet on 17-18 December in Geneva.

• Continuing its support to the implementation of the Regional Housing Programme (RHP), on 18 September UNHCR joined refugees, the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Serbian Commissioner for Refugees and Migration, local authorities as well as representatives of donors and the OSCE in handing the keys to 50 new apartments in Golubinci and Para?in. On 24 September, UNHCR attended the granting of contracts for purchasing of village houses to 22 refugee families in Be?ej.

• UNHCR is grateful to the Republic of France for accepting one vulnerable refugee, who departed on resettlement to France, and to the Federal Republic of Germany for admitting one vision-impaired refugee for family reunification to Germany.

• 197 asylum-seeking and migrant children started the new school year in local pre-, primary and secondary schools. Noting that these were less than 50% of eligible children, the SCRM requested support to enhancing school enrolment.