World Refugee Day commemorated in Albania

On World Refugee Day, which is celebrated annually on 20 June. This year the core message of the World Refugee Day is that every person has the right to seek safety – whoever they are, wherever they come from, and whenever they are forced to flee.

UNHCR Albania’s Officer in Charge, Ms. Kristina Folkelius gave a statement to the Voice of America.

In her statement, Ms. Folkelius spoke on the current numbers of refugees entering Albania and on how many of them are referred to the asylum procedures. She also reminded the Albanian people on the importance of welcoming refugees into our communities, as it will make the community stronger and more vibrant. The Officer in Charge also spoke on the tragic milestone of 100 million forcibly displaced people around the globe.

As for the situation in Albania, Ms. Folkelius said that “Albania has proven to be a reliable partner on the international scene – demonstrating solidarity and contributing to responsibility sharing – when it comes to offering protection to certain categories of refugees”. She mentioned the Afghan and Ukrainian refugees and commended the Albanian Government’s efforts to help these people. She continued saying “… it remains a fact that other potential refugees and asylum seekers do not have the same effective access to the Albanian territory and the Albanian asylum system”. Ms. Folkelius mentioned that UNHCR remains engaged with the Albanian authorities on the restoration of access to the asylum procedure and supports a sustainable asylum system in Albania.

The activities of world refugee day continued with UNHCR Albania’s partners in Tirana and Gjirokastra.

Refugee and Migrant Services in Albania (RMSA) in partnership with UNHCR and with contribution of Caritas Tirana, organized a get-together for refugees and asylum seekers in the Reception Center for Asylum in Tirana.

The children enjoyed the music and other festivities, while their parents prepared national dishes from their countries of origin.

Caritas Albania with Caritas Austria and UNHCR Albania, continued the successful photography exhibition “The Dreams We Carry” in Gjirokastra.

The ceremony was held in the “Zihni Sako” theater, in the presence of the Prefect of Gjirokastra, the Mayor of Gjirokastra and representatives from local authorities, representatives of religious communities and UNHCR Albania’s Officer in Charge and Gjirokastra Field Unit representative.

 In her speech, Ms. Folkelius mentioned “Respecting human rights and refugee rights is not a choice – it is a legal and moral obligation and should never be dependent on nationality or mode of arrival”.