Working environment

The UNHCR Office in Prague, Czech Republic, opened in 1992 following Czechoslovakia's accession to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. After the split of the federation, the Czech Republic re-enacted its accession.

The present Asylum Act was adopted in January 2000. In contrast to the previous legislation, it explicitly defines the role of UNHCR in the asylum procedure. As one of its benevolent clauses, the Asylum Act used to allow for asylum-seekers to work legally in the Czech Republic immediately after they submitted their asylum application. As many foreigners started to use the asylum procedure as the easiest way to legalise their stay in the country in order to obtain a work permit, an amendment in 2002 ceased this possibility.

Since 2001, the Czech authorities can grant asylum on humanitarian grounds as well. The humanitarian asylum is usually granted to those who are severely handicapped or vulnerable for different reasons. These people enjoy the same rights as refugees.

According to the latest provisional figures, there have been some 980 asylum applications in the Czech Republic in 2010, six of which lodged by unaccompanied minors and separated children. In 2010, 125 people were recognized as a refugees and 104 received a complementary form of protection. Most of the asylum-seekers arrived from the following countries of origin: Mongolia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. 

Projects and activities

Through its protection, programme, and public information activities, the main objective of UNHCR in the Czech Republic is to support the government's efforts to establish a comprehensive, sustainable and self-reliant asylum system. 

The protection activities are oriented to ensure the quality of the decisions and services. UNHCR is actively involved in the preparatory works of all relevant legislation and strives to ensure the implementation of the Asylum Act. The Office regularly monitors the decisions made in first instance aiming at ensuring a fair and efficient Refugee Status Determination procedure. UNHCR also assists the judges dealing with the asylum appeals. 

UNHCR takes part in the Foster Care Act, which partly covers the issues of separated children. Furthermore, the Office co-operates with the Czech academia, as well as with specialised organisations dealing with such issues as women and children asylum seekers at risk. Through implementing NGO partners, legal and social counselling is provided to all groups of asylum seekers and refugees. 

As the country does not have any external EU land borders, UNHCR focuses on monitoring the entry and access to asylum procedure at the Prague International Airport.

Since 2007 UNHCR in Prague has been partaking in the annual participatory assessments as part of the Age, Gender and Diversity Mainstreaming (AGDM) global strategy. Multi-Functional Teams composed of governmental and non-governmental actors and UNHCR visit detention, reception and accommodation facilities to map the situation and needs of asylum-seekers and refugees and work out practical solutions to them. 

Since the rollout of AGDM, integration standards have become one of UNHCR’s priorities in the country. The Office has participated in the elaboration of the Concept of the State Integration Program and continues to monitor it. 

Programme Activities of UNHCR are implemented in close co-operation with selected Czech NGOs. UNHCR contributes to implementation financially and through advisory and training. It also provides significant funds to cover the costs of social and legal counselling for asylum-seekers and refugees in the reception centres, refugee facilities and main detention centres.

UNHCR in the Czech Republic pays a special attention to Roma issues combined with the problem of statelessness through its Roma pilot programme. The programme began in 1995 and focuses on both the de facto and de jure stateless Roma population. The phenomenon appeared as a consequence of the split of Czechoslovakia, with the majority of the affected people being of Roma origin. UNHCR assisted the establishment of the Citizenship Advisory Center in 1996 and provides its legal expertise in dealing with individual cases and proposing amendments to the Citizenship Act, when necessary. 

Since 2002, the Office has been cooperating with the Secondary Police School in Prague as well as organisations responsible for further training of teachers. 

UNHCR participates in numerous public awareness projects organised by local NGOs. Since 1998 UNHCR organises an annual competition for journalists awarding the Best Refugee Story. 

UNHCR in the Czech Republic regularly distributes refugee related information material in order to raise the awareness about the refugee issue and the agency’s activities.