Bulgaria: Information session “Integration of refugees from Ukraine on the territory of Sofia Municipality”

On 2 June 2022, the Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants, the UNHCR Representation in Bulgaria and the Sofia Development Association organised an Information Session on Integration of Refugees from Ukraine on the Territory of Sofia Municipality.

District and municipal administrations in the country should take the initiative and participate in the creation of working mechanisms to support the social inclusion and integration of refugees from Ukraine.  This is one of the main conclusions of the discussion meeting of the district administrations in Sofia Municipality with representatives of the Council of Ministers, the State Agency for Refugees, the Office of the Sofia Region Governor and NGOs. The meeting was attended by Ms. Krasimira Velichkova, Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister Kalina Konstantinova, Mr. Tsvetelin Sofroniev, Deputy Governor of Sofia, Ms. Venera Milova, Secretary of Sofia Municipality. They discussed the possibilities of establishing day care centers for refugee children froom Ukraine during the summer, organizing Bulgarian language courses, supporting employment, housing, etc. Medium- and long-term planning of logistics chains, resourcing of municipal and regional structures, cooperation with the civil sector are key factors for successful management of such crises in the future.

The meeting was organized in the framework of the implementation of the project “Advocacy for Refugee Integration in Bulgaria”, funded by UNHCR and the project “NIEM – National Integration Evaluation Mechanism“, funded by the AMIF.