A main goal of UNHCR in Central Europe is to ensure all asylum-seekers access to safe territory and fair and efficient asylum procedures. Therefore the UN refugee agency has established border management projects in six countries of the region: Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. The projects are based on tripartite agreements between the countries’ government authorities, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and UNHCR. Learn more on the agreements at the link below. 

In the framework of the project the participating NGOs as implementing partners regularly visit border cross points and detention centres to evaluate the access of asylum-seekers to territory and asylum procedures. They talk to new arrivals, look into their files and provide protection information and legal counselling. Following the visit, they report back to UNHCR and the Border Police Authority about their findings and prepare evaluation reports. The issues in the reports are taken up in regular working groups and also in ad-hoc meetings when an immediate action is needed. 

The border management projects also include trainings to the Border Police and NGOs tailored to their specific learning needs in order to create a better understanding of asylum and refugee issues, vulnerable people and those with special needs. In addition, several hundred information dispensers are placed at key locations along the external borders in various languages to inform new arrivals of their right to seek asylum and to provide them with local contacts for legal advice.

Over the years, the Border Management and Protection of Refugees projects have contributed to enhanced access to territory and asylum procedures in the six Central European countries. They have strengthened the cooperation between the border police as well as immigration and asylum authorities, but also between the government, NGOs and UNHCR. 

The projects have also helped to identify training needs and UNHCR could conduct hundreds of training sessions at all levels of border guard officials as well as detention and reception facility staff. The projects have also led to changes in existing legislation, in particular on the principle of non-refoulement, a cornerstone of international refugee protection, and the non-penalization of entry.