Working environment

The UNHCR Office in Poland was set up in 1992 after the country had acceded to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol.

According to the latest provisional figures, in 2010 some 6540 asylum applications have been lodged in Poland, ten of which by unaccompanied minors and separated children. In 2010, 82 people were granted refugee status and 432 received a complementary form of protection. Most of the asylum-seekers arrived from the three countries of origin: Russia, Georgia and Armenia. 

Projects and activities

Initially UNHCR worked with the Polish government to help set up the first centres for refugees and asylum seekers and establish proper status determination procedures. As asylum officials acquired more experience over the years, UNHCR has shifted its focus to other institutions dealing with refugees and asylum-seekers, such as the border guards, police, social workers, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and legal associations.

In order to ensure that people seeking international protection have access to the territory and fair and efficient asylum procedures, UNHCR in Poland carries out a border management programme, including border monitoring in cooperation with the Legal Aid Center of Halina Niec. The project aims at ensuring the protection of asylum-seekers arriving at the border against refoulement (return to a territory where their life or freedom would be threatened) and unjustified administrative detention. The project also provides legal assistance and asylum information to asylum-seekers at the borders and trains border guards on the rights of people claiming asylum. 

UNHCR in Poland carries out participatory assessments in reception centres since 2005 with the aim of ensuring the adequate living conditions for refugees and asylum-seekers. The Age Gender Diversity Mainstreaming (AGDM) field visits are realized in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior and Administration, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, the Office for Foreigners, the Provincial Offices, local authorities, national police and a wide range of NGOs. 

Under an agreement between the Office for Foreigners, the national police, NGOs and UNHCR, the Warsaw Office also carries out actions to prevent and respond to cases of sexual and gender-based violence in reception centres. These include trainings for the staff of the so-called local cooperation groups as well as information and monitoring. 

In order to ensure the efficiency and fairness of the asylum decision procedures, UNHCR in Poland has been implementing the Quality Initiative programme through the past Asylum Quality Assurance and Evaluation Mechanism and the Further Developing Asylum Quality projects. It organizes seminars and thematic meetings on asylum issues in collaboration with the Provincial Administrative Court in Warsaw and the Refugee Board. 

UNHCR in Poland has the theme of refugee integration high on its agenda. It promotes the creation of specific Teams on Integration Affairs to serve as advisory bodies. The Office also organizes conferences on this issue, promotes studies on the situation of refugees in the country and publishes information materials on a regular basis on possible methods of solving integration problems and addressing future challenges. 

UNHCR in Poland has a close cooperation with the Ministry of Interior and Administration and the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy in the field of promoting refugees’ resettlement to Poland. The Office organizes study missions, supports participation in relevant international meetings and encourages projects that help build future resettlement capacities. 

A major activity and goal of UNHCR in Poland is the promotion of Poland’s accession to both the 1954 and 1961 Statelessness Conventions as well as the 1997 European Convention on Nationality. To this aim, it organizes seminars and conferences on statelessness and publishes materials discussing the question of nationality and the statelessness problem. 

Public information activities of UNHCR in Poland focus on raising awareness both within the society and the media to bring refugee issues to the attention of the interested public. The Office organizes and facilitates selected activities and campaigns that contribute to a greater visibility and a better understanding of the issue of asylum within the Polish society. The Office also holds specific presentations to students specializing in asylum matters and provides them with different information materials to help them better understand the situation of refugees and asylum-seekers.