The UN Refugee Agency this week welcomed the arrival of six refugee families originally from Syria and South Sudan in Lisbon.
The 33 people, who landed in the Portuguese capital on Monday, are the first of the over one thousand refugees whom Portugal pledged to admit from Turkey and Egypt by October 2019 in the framework of the current EU resettlement programme.
UNHCR’s Director of the Bureau for Europe, Pascale Moreau says these refugees have found a durable solution to their plight and will now be able to rebuild their lives.
He adds that Municipal authorities and NGOs throughout Portugal will support the refugees, who will be offered initial support with housing and basic needs while they learn the Portuguese language and pursue employment.
Pascale says the refugees will have access to healthcare and education, as well as professional and vocational training.
UNHCR thanks the government of Portugal for making resettlement an effective, durable solution for these families whose lives have been shaken by violence.
Moreau this arrivals are a concrete gesture of solidarity by Portugal in providing refugee resettlement places that are so badly needed.
In 2017, for every 21 refugees in need of resettlement globally, only one departed to a resettlement state.