Bulgaria and Greece collaborate to strengthen the two countries’ child protection systems

Friday, July 12, 2024, marked the completion of a five-day exchange visit of experts from the National Emergency Response Mechanism (NERM) of the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum to Bulgaria. Organized by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in coordination with the Bulgarian authorities and the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), this visit is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen child protection systems in both countries.

Children account for 30 per cent of the world’s population. UNHCR estimates that children make up 40 per cent of all forcibly displaced people globally. As a state coordination mechanism in Greece, the National Emergency Response Mechanism (NERM) provides an immediate response to the needs of unaccompanied and separated children and it also acts as a measure to prevent the risk of trafficking, abuse, or exploitation.

During the Greek delegation’s visit, UNHCR organized a series of meetings to facilitate exchange of good practices with the State Agency for Refugees, State Agency for Child Protection, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, Agency for Social Assistance, National Police, Border Police, Directorate – Migration, Ombuds Administration, municipalities and other national and local stakeholders in Bulgaria involved in the protection and care of unaccompanied children. The child protection actors from the two countries discussed challenges faced by unaccompanied and separated children within the Bulgarian migration and asylum system, and the responses of the authorities and national child protection actors. The main topic of discussions during this week was to identify potential ways of utilizing the example of the NERM model, applied in Greece for the protection of unaccompanied and separated children, within the Bulgarian context.

This visit comes as a follow up to a three-day study visit of a Bulgarian delegation in Greece in May 2024 during which the Bulgarian authorities, UNHCR and EUAA participated in a Round Table at the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, and were part of a visit to Chios Island’s closed controlled access centre.

After the exchange visit in Bulgaria, the Greek delegation observed that Bulgaria had important good practices such as legal representation that could be brought together and reinforced to ensure that unaccompanied children have effective protection and care in Bulgaria.

All parties expressed their willingness to continue collaborating to strengthen the child protection systems in both countries, broaden bilateral collaboration, and promote the NERM model in the region.

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