A Network of Centers for Refugees and Foreigners has been established in Slovakia, aiming to strengthen cooperation and streamline coordination in supporting and integrating foreigners. Centers from seven Slovak cities have joined the newly established network, and they will now bear the common name Safe Point. The establishment of the network was announced by representatives of the Union of Cities of Slovakia (ÚMS) at a press conference on Tuesday.
The main goal of the newly established Network of Centers for Refugees and Foreigners - Safe Point is to help existing centers strengthen mutual cooperation, raise standards and coordinate more effectively. The coordinator of the network is ÚMS, and the intention was also supported by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The newly established network includes support and integration centers for refugees and people of foreign origin in Bratislava, Nitra, Trnava, Žilina, Košice, Prešov and Michalovce.
“Historically, in every crisis, cities have been and are the first safety net for all residents. For those who come to us looking for help, but also for those who come to us to work and are often lost in a new city. These people are not just statistical numbers, they have their own name and face,” said Jana Červenáková, Executive Vice President of the Slovak Chamber of Migrants and Refugees.
In recent years, more than 130,000 people who were forced to leave their homes as a result of the war in Ukraine have found refuge in Slovakia. Slovak local governments play a key role in their integration in cooperation with the state, civil society and international organizations. Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, the ÚMS has been cooperating with member cities to manage the situation with the influx of refugees, and a working group consisting of employees of individual offices was created.
“The connection of cities in which centers operate or have recently been created by local governments was only a logical outcome of our long-term cooperation, as well as cooperation with UNHCR, UNICEF and other helping organizations. We see this as a necessary step to draw attention to the problems these centers face and find a long-term sustainable solution to their operation,” stated the main coordinator of the Network of Centers Mária Wagingerová.
The ÚMS also draws attention to the necessary continuation of sustainable state funding of support centers, otherwise there is a risk that they will not be able to fulfill their tasks and help those in need. Most of the centers involved in the newly created network are financed through the national project Integration; without continued support from the European Social Fund and the state, they will not be able to continue their activities. The ÚMS also emphasizes that in order to ensure support for the integration of working foreigners, it is necessary to resolve the method of redistributing personal income taxes to the benefit of the local governments in whose territories these people live.
Source: TASR
