cooperation in state initiatives to promote integration in member states of rcm

Cooperation in State Initiatives to Promote Integration in Member States of RCM

San José, February 23, 2012

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

1 family forced to fleeis too much.

Refugees in Costa Rica:

• 12,571 refugees of more than 40 nationalities• 10,297 refugees from Colombia• 964 persons applied for refugee status in 2011

1 family forced to fleeis too much.

Objectives for the Integration of Refugees

• To promote self-sufficiency of refugees and ensure their participation in designing support programmes;

• Equal access to services in the receiving country;

• To strengthen spaces for experience-sharing between refugees and the receiving society.

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• To support existing efforts and institutions, and not to generate parallel systems for refugees;

• To meet the specific needs of individuals according to age, gender, ethnic origin, etc.

1 family forced to fleeis too much.1 family forced to fleeis too much.

Current Challenges relating to Integration: • Economic Integration: Documents, access to labour markets,

acknowledging academic degrees, access to health care, access to housing;

• Social Integration: Discrimination, lack of knowledge of the situations of refugees;

• Cultural Integration: Participation in local organizations, promoting spaces for experience-sharing.

1 family forced to fleeis too much.

Cooperation for Integration:

• “1+1 hacemos Costa Rica” Campaign

• “Rutas de Integración” (Integration Routes) and “Entre Vecinos” (Among Neighbours) Projects

• “Lazos sin Fronteras” (Bonds without Borders) Project

1 family forced to fleeis too much.

Future Challenges:• To ensure that programmes and initiatives have differentiated

approaches;

• To continue working toward refining criteria and approaches on

how to promote and assess the level of integration of refugees in the country;

• To join efforts to reach key institutions with the aim of enabling refugees to gain timely access to the services that they need to be able to integrate.

1 family forced to fleeis too much.