POLICY REPORT ON IMMIGRATION AND ASYLUM IN LATVIA ...

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voluntary participation, Latvia is ready to engage in future activities related to the
implementation of the resettlement programmes 155 .
In order to strengthen the cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR), the State Border Guard has prepared a draft Memorandum of
Understanding in order to improve the exchange of information, as well as provision of
necessary support to persons who wish to obtain international protection.
By using attracted financing from the European Refugee Fund, the Office of
Citizenship and Migration Affairs has, within the framework of the project of European
Refugee Fund "Improvement of the quality of asylum procedures", voluminous book
"Comments to the Asylum Law" 156 with explanations that will enable the further improvement
of not only the quality of the asylum procedure, but will also significantly facilitate the daily
work of employees involved in the asylum system in border guard, courts, ministries and other
migration services. The purpose of the voluminous publication is to promote the understanding
by employees working in state administration institutions and courts of the application and
interpretation of the provisions of the Asylum Law.
Within the framework of this project, training seminars were also organized in the
previous year regarding the procedure of application of the Asylum Law for judges of
administrative regional courts and employees of other involved state administration
institutions. 157
On 28 December, 2010 Society “Shelter “Safe House”” started an implementation of
the project “I Stay in Latvia!” within the framework of the European Refugee Fund (ERF).
Aim of the project is to foster the adaptation and inclusion of the refugees and persons with the
alternative status in the Latvian society. The project will be implemented from December 2010
till June 2011. Project “I Stay in Latvia!” is a follow-up to the project implemented in 2009
“NGOs Support System to Asylum Seekers and Refugees” within the framework of the ERF
and activities are directed to the continuation of integration of the target group. Within the
project refugees and persons with alternative status for seven months will be provide with
medical, psychological, material, legal and other support. It is envisaged that within the project
following aims will be achieved: acquisition of accommodation for the members of the target
155 Information provided by officials of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs.
156 Gromovs J., Patvēruma likuma komentāri (Comments to the Asylum Law).//Riga: Office of Citizenship and
Migration Affairs,2009.-p. 301.
157 PMLP izdod grāmatu ar Patvēruma likuma komentāriem (The OCMA Issues a Book with Comments to the
Asylum Law).// http://www.pmlp.gov.lv/lv/news/news_id=486 -[see: 24.11.2010]