The World Refugee Day is marked on June 20. The purpose of this day is to draw special attention to the vulnerable people who have been forced to leave their countries due to persecution on the grounds of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or belonging to a certain social group. The mentioned day is also an opportunity to understand the difficult situation of refugees due to persecution and the difficulties related to the recovery of life in a foreign country, to build sympathy and understanding towards them.

Seeking asylum is a right enshrined in international human rights law and national legislation of Georgia.[1] It is essential for people fleeing persecution in their country of origin to be able to enter another country safely and have access to asylum procedures. In case of illegal border crossing, the asylum seeker's right to be exempted from criminal liability should be protected in accordance with international and national legislation. In addition, it should be the goal of the State to create appropriate conditions for refugees for their full integration into community, and for this purpose it is necessary to develop effective socio-economic and educational programmes in response to the challenges related to the recovery of life and integration in a foreign country.

A special sub-chapter is dedicated to the refugees' rights in the Public Defender’s annual report on the situation of human rights and freedoms, which reflects the challenges and recommendations based on the activities of the Public Defender on the named issue.[2] The report also touches on the issue of integration of refugees. In this regard, the problems related to the teaching methods of the Georgian language, as well as the absence of social benefits for internationally protected persons in the local municipalities, remain problematic. Unfortunately, until now, no general approach document has been developed relating to the integration of immigrants, which would have significantly contributed to the integration process. In addition, the Office regularly monitors air and land border crossing points in order to assess availability of the asylum procedures.

The Public Defender’s Office joins the celebration of the World Refugee Day and expresses the hope that the State will facilitate long-term solutions to the problems of refugees, taking into account the obligations recognized by international and domestic legislations.

[1] 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 2016 Law of Georgia on International Protection.

[2] Available at the link: https://ombudsman.ge/geo/saparlamento-angarishebi (last viewed: 14.06.2023)