On Wednesday the government approved this annual contingent for 2020 and 2021 as part of its participation in a UNHCR resettlementExternal link scheme.
At least 80% of these refugees must come from crisis regions in the Middle East and regions along the migration route to the central Mediterranean, according to a government statementExternal link. The remaining 20% of the contingent is to be kept for use in short-term emergency situations.
The government decided in November 2018 to continue Switzerland’s participation in the UNHCR resettlement programme. In consultation with cantons, towns and local governments, it plans to adopt a programme every two years for the resettlement of 1,500 to 2,000 refugees.
The Swiss Refugee CouncilExternal link on Wednesday welcomed the government’s decision to set regular contingents for recognised refugees but said the annual maximum of 800 for 2020 and 2021 was not enough given the record number of refugees worldwide. Millions of people are risking their lives on the migration routes or languishing in detention camps with terrible conditions, it said.
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Swiss to continue to take in vulnerable refugees
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Switzerland will take in 800 vulnerable refugees from conflict zones in 2019, mostly from Syria, the government has said.
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The head of the Swiss Football League says he prefers a harsher approach to individual hooligans rather than collective punishment measures affecting all fans.
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The Swiss government emphasised on Sunday the vital role of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe, 75 years after it was founded.
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Student protestors at University of Lausanne continue pro-Palestine sit-in
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Since Thursday, a hall on campus has been occupied by students calling for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions and a ceasefire in Gaza.
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Swiss public broadcasters RTS and SRF are drastically reducing their communications via the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Israel: president of Swiss universities rejects academic boycott
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Luciana Vaccaro, president of Swissuniversities, the umbrella group of Swiss universities, is not in favour of an academic boycott of Israeli universities.
Cantons to offer ‘pre-apprenticeship’ training to refugees
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Switzerland is rolling out a pilot scheme to help refugees and asylum seekers allowed to stay in the country prepare for an apprenticeship.
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Most asylum proceedings are now to be completed within 140 days in federal asylum seekers’ centres. This compares with an average of 280 days in 2015. The reform was approved by two-thirds of Swiss voters in spring 2016. + Read more about the 2016 vote on accelerated asylum procedures As of March 1, asylum…
Switzerland urged to be more flexible on vulnerable refugees
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Switzerland is being urged to stop sending vulnerable asylum seekers back to Italy so long as adequate reception for them is not guaranteed there.
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