UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution.
UNHCR in the world
We lead international action to protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people.
We deliver life-saving assistance, help safeguard fundamental human rights, and develop solutions that ensure people have a safe place called home where they can build a better future. We also work with governments to ensure that stateless people are granted a nationality.
We work in over 130 countries, using our expertise to protect and care for millions.
UNHCR in Belarus
UNHCR has been working in Belarus since 1995.
The role of UNHCR in the country is to advise and support the efforts of the Government to fulfill its obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention With the focus on legal counselling and liaison with asylum authorities to ensure unhindered access to state Refugee Status Determination Procedure.
UNHCR works to improve the Belarusian asylum system and procedures and promotes and facilitates the inclusion and integration of people. Our projects also focus on education, employment, and self-reliance. In Belarus, UNHCR builds capacity within local partners to enable them to provide protection and solutions to people forced to flee.
What we do in Belarus:
- research, advice and comments on proposed new laws and regulations affecting forcibly displaced and stateless people;
- assist forcibly displaced and stateless people, primarily with legal counselling, advocacy with the Government, interpretation, and translation ;
- provide direct cash assistance for the most vulnerable individuals;
- raise awareness among students and the overall population about UNHCR, its mandate, asylum and refugee status determination, and statelessness;
- contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in Belarus together with partners in line with the Global Compact on Refugees and the Agenda 2030.
- work with governments, other UN agencies, community-based and non-governmental organizations.
- provide technical support to the Government of Belarus to accede to the UN Statelessness Conventions and for the introduction of a dedicated statelessness determination procedure.
- provide legal assistance to individuals to help solve their statelessness.
UNHCR’s multi-year strategy for 2024-2026 prioritises self-reliance and socio-economic inclusion through a community-based approach.
UNHCR leads the coordination of the refugee response in Belarus in support of the efforts of the Government of Belarus. This includes enhancing result and evidence-based information management for effective decision-making to enhance planning and response. More information on the response to the Ukraine refugee situation is available on UNHCR’s Data Portal.
UNHCR also contributes to the response to mixed movements in Belarus, in coordination with IOM and UNICEF.
Representative
Mr. Erol Arduç has been serving as the UNHCR Representative in Belarus since January 2023. He also served as the ad interim Resident Coordinator for Belarus from May 2023 to mid-April 2024.
Mr. Arduç holds academic certificates in Public International and European Union Law, Political Science, and Philosophy from the University Bonn, Germany. He speaks Turkish, German, English, and French.
UNHCR’s Representative in Belarus has a background that includes practicing law in Germany and Türkiye, specializing in asylum and human rights law. Since 2002, he has been serving in UNHCR and has contributed to operations globally.
Mr. Arduç has held positions such as Chief of UNHCR Mission in Kosovo* and served in various capacities in Zambia, Hungary, Greece, Ukraine, Switzerland, Kenya, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of Sudan, and the Republic of Türkiye.
*- References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999).
