RECEPTION CENTRE KUTINA
"World Refugee Day 2010"

It is a great pleasure to greet you all today on behalf of UNHCR to this "open day' in the Kutina Reception Center for asylum seekers.

First of all, allow me to extend my thanks and gratitude to the Ministry of the Interior, the staff of the Reception Centre and the Croatian Red Cross for co- organising this event to celebrate the WRD 2010, which is marked worldwide on the 20 June.

Special thanks go of course to the asylum seekers and refugees as well as those who have contributed to today's celebration.

The remarkable cooperation between the people here today is visible in the beautiful works and handicrafts displayed.

I'm sure we will also see a great display of talent on the football pitch later, from all the four corners of the world, our own World Cup.

Gratitude must also be expressed to the people of Kutina, who have shown themselves to be an open and welcoming community. From the local schools, to NGOs working here, all of you should congratulate yourselves and recognise that today is also a celebration of your work and goodwill

Tomorrow we mark World Refugee Day -

- This is the time to celebrate the spirit and courage of refugees and displaced persons worldwide,

- The time to give them the additional encouragement, support and respect they deserve.

This years World Refugee Day has as its theme:

They took my HOME but they can't take my future,

in recognition of the plight of more then 43 million people uprooted by conflict and violence around the world. More than 15 million of them are refugees.

Women, men and children, like those 400,000 uprooted in the spiraling violence in Kyrgyzstan in the past days.

Having a HOME, a place we belong, a place where we feel safe, is something most of us take for granted.

Yet, tragically more than 43 million people fleeing conflict and persecution, the highest number since, mid-1990s, no longer have a place they can call home.

There will be years before they can even return.
In fact, many may never go home again.

While returning home remains THE preferred solution by refugees and host countries alike, the past year has shown that this is becoming more difficult.

In the last year, due to the persistence of conflicts, only 250,000 persons were able to return home - this is the lowest number in the past two decades.

This leaves a lot of people who cannot go home - Inevitably, other solutions, especially integration in the host countries, are now a vital issue.

The very fact that we celebrate WRD today here in the Kutina Asylum Reception Centre confirms that Croatia is today a country offering protection and hosting refugees from all parts of the world. Only 15 years after the end of the armed conflict a remarkable, praiseworthy achievement indeed.

To date in Croatia, 27 people, from Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Congo and other countries, have been granted protection. 13 people alone in 2009, which is almost double that of 2008.

UNHCR welcomes the efforts and achievements of Croatian Government to establish a fair and efficient asylum system. We enjoy an excellent co-operation with the MOI, the Asylum Commission and other governmental and non-governmental partners in this field.

With the adoption of the latest amendments to the LoA, which is expected soon, Croatia's legislation will be fully harmonized with the EU standards and the 1951 Refugee Convention.

The recent reinforcement of the Asylum Commission has significantly improved the independence and the working conditions of this important review instance and contributed to improved access to protection.

With currently some 150 asylum seekers per year, Croatia only hosts a small number of persons seeking protection.

While the numbers of applicants will certainly increase once the country joins the EU, or even before, overall the number of asylum seekers will remain moderate.

UNHCR' Global Trends report released last week made it clear that there is no flood of asylum seekers to western countries. Worldwide Europe hosts only 16% of the world's refugee population.

Nevertheless, Croatia is well advised to further develop the current asylum reception, processing and integration capacities in order to be prepared for its participation in the EU Asylum System.

As we learned during the round table on Monday in Zagreb, Integration of refugees into the Croatian society remains a challenge.

A more systematic approach, including competent ministries and authorities at the local level, as well as the civil society is essential to ensure that people granted protection in Croatia can build their lives in the country and can contribute to the society.

UNHCR Croatia remains committed to support the Government and the civil society to further strengthen the asylum system.

On the occasion of this World Refugee Day,

hLet' s remember that we need to do more for refugees and displaced persons worldwide - So even if they have lost theirs, they haven't lost their futures.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your attention