2013 

Chair of the Committee on Human Rights: Lithuania must contribute to supporting refugees from war zones


Press release, 20 March 2013

On 20 March 2013, the Committee on Human Rights met with Pia Prytz Phiri, Regional Representative for the UNHCR’s (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) Regional Office for the Baltic and Nordic countries.  

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, more commonly referred to as the UN Refugee Agency, is present in more than 120 countries and promotes proper implementation of the rights of refugees. Since the adoption of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the UNHCR has offered assistance and protection to tens of millions of refugees. Lithuania acceded to the Convention in 1997.

The Representative of the UNHCR encouraged Lithuania to take actions to ratify the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness in 2013 during Lithuania’s Presidency of the Council of the EU, as well as to review conditions for granting citizenship to stateless persons and those granted international protection in Lithuania.

Pia Prytz Phiri underlined that humane behaviour with refugees and their integration are of particular importance to the host country, as successfully integrated refugees may become labour market participants, learn the language of the host country and develop into full-fledged members of society.

The Representative of the UNHCR welcomed the benevolent cooperation between Lithuania and the UNCHR and expressed her appreciation of Lithuania’s support to the UN Refugee Agency. Pia Prytz Phiri notes that there are several dozens of refugees in Lithuania whereas there are around 1.3 million people seeking refuge from atrocities of war in the countries around Syria. Pia Prytz Phiri believes that support to refugees is of vital importance, because we will pay a much higher price if the situation spins out of control.

Leonard Talmont, Chair of the Committee on Human Rights, subscribes to the analysis of the Representative and commits to encourage the Government to contribute to the support for the UN Refugee Agency that provides expert assistance to people, who are made to leave their country due to threats to their lives, health and dignity.   

According to the data of the Migration Department, since the start of the implementation of asylum procedures in the Republic of Lithuania, over 6.5 thousand applications for asylum have been processed. 161 asylum seekers have been granted refugee status; approximately 3511 people unable to return to their countries of origin due to military conflicts or violations of human rights enjoy the subsidiary protection in the Republic of Lithuania.

In 2012, 627 applications for asylum from 30 countries were submitted. In 2011, however, 527 applications for asylum in the Republic of Lithuania from 26 countries were filed, making the number of applications 5% higher than in 2010 and 15% higher than in 2009. 

In 2012, like in 2011, the majority of asylum seekers were the citizens of Georgia – 48%. In 2012, more applications for asylum from Afghanistan and Vietnam were lodged than in earlier years. There were 4 unaccompanied minors among asylum seeking children under the age of 18.

Eglė Gibavičiūtė, Adviser, Office of the Committee on Human Rights, tel: +370 5 239 6809, e-mail: [email protected])

 

 

 


Last updated on 2013-03-22

by Jolanta Anskaitienė


© Office of the Seimas

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