Statement by the PR of Belarus at the 73rd session of the ExCom of the Program of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees

On October 12, 2022, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Belarus to the UN Office in Geneva, Larysa Belskaya, spoke during the general debate of the 73rd session of the Executive Committee of the Program of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

The Permanent Representative of Belarus stated that the current international situation is not conducive to reducing the number of people that are obliged to move across international borders. Wars and conflicts, natural disasters, deepening inequality between countries are forcing huge masses of people to leave their homes.

The representative of Belarus emphasized that the policy of a number of states, which use sanctions as a political tool of interstate relations, leads to a global worsening of the food security situation, especially in the poorest regions of the world, and affects the growth of the number of refugees.

L.Belskaya declared that Belarus supports the approaches expressed in the speech of the High Commissioner F. Grandi regarding the inadmissibility of solving the refugee problem by erecting walls, or by denying access to the territory and forcibly expelling those seeking asylum; as well as the inadmissibility of the use of racism against refugees.

The Belarusian diplomat noted that without proper response to the root causes of refugees, it is impossible to effectively solve this problem. In this regard, she reminded the delegates of the proposal of the President of the Republic of Belarus to organize a global dialogue on security, within the framework of which the states and, first of all, the great powers could come to an agreement on building constructive international relations.

The Permanent Representative of Belarus informed the audience about the recently adopted changes in Belarusian legislation, which provide additional benefits for refugees from Ukraine and other countries in the areas of employment, education, medical care and pensions.

Positively evaluating the contribution of the UNHCR to solving the problems of refugees, L.Belskaya noted that only through joint efforts it is possible to find effective solutions to such complex problems as the protection and promotion of the rights of refugees.

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