Local integration for refugees in the CIS region

On 24 and 25 November 2003, UNHCR held a workshop in Chisinau, Moldova
to discuss the perspectives for local integration as a durable solution in the CIS. The
primary objective of the workshop discussed in this report was to identify gaps in
legislation and services that impede refugee integration. Participants also identified
future activities that would improve the currently existing abilities for CIS countries
to integrate refugees.
The workshop
 

The workshop in Chisinau, brought together 24 persons including government
officials, representatives of NGOs, and international organizations. Twelve CIS
countries were represented. Following a welcome by Lars Jonsson, UNHCR
Representative in Moldova, the Senior Legal Officer of UNHCR’s regional Bureau for
Europe, Bayisa Wak-Woya, outlined the objectives of the workshop, stressing the
need to build a greater dialogue for cooperation between the respective authorities
and the NGOs.