Brazil Gets UN Accolades for Its Refugee Legislation and Work

Around 3,000 refugees, from 54 different countries, are currently living in Brazil. The country was one of the first in Latin American to ratify the United Nations (UN) 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.

As recognition for the work of the Brazilian government in receiving and integrating these people into society, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, is visiting Brazil this Monday and Tuesday, November 7 and 8.

Monday, Guterres was received by the Minister of Justice, Márcio Thomaz Bastos, and by the Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Justice and President of the National Refugees Committee (CONARE), Luiz Paulo Teles.

This is António Guterres’ first visit to Latin America after becoming a UN High Commissioner, on June 15th. "Brazil has one of the most advanced refugee legislations and one of the most correct practices, both receiving and integrating refugees," he said.

According to the 1951 Convention, it is considered a refugee any person who is persecuted for reasons of race, nationality, religion, political opinion, among others, or who lives in an area undergoing conflict or war, and seeks protection in other countries.

Of the approximately 3,000 refugees living in Brazil, 24% are women. The majority of these people come from Africa (75%), from countries such as Sierra Leone, Angola, Congo and Guinea-Bissau, according to Luiz Paulo Teles.

This year, Brazil has received approximately 350 requests for refuge from people of over 20 countries. "Today, our country has conditions to provide protection not to a large number of people, but to meaningful ethnic and religious groups that may have difficulties in finding protection in other parts of the world," says the President of CONARE.

António Guterres met with President Lula this Tuesday and also with representatives of the Chamber of Deputies and Federal Senate.

Agência Brasil

Tags:

You May Also Like

In Brazil, the Worker President Became Emperor

In November 1889, the young army officer Felicíssimo do Espírito Santo Cardoso handed a ...

Brazil Still Mistreating Its Delinquent Minors, Says OAS

A group of human rights organizations has released a report on the situation in ...

This Lebanese-Brazilian Built a Little Food Empire

It is 10 o’clock in the morning. Aldemir Abdala runs from one side to ...

Poor in Brazil Can’t Count on the Courts, Says UN

The special rapporteur from the UN Comission on Human Rights, Leandro Despouy, has released ...

Brazil Pays Homage to Kyoto Accord

In homage to the Kyoto Protocol, which went into effect on Wednesday, February 16, ...

Search for Bodies of Brazilian Jet Is Slow and Painful: Only Two Bodies Recovered

There were no survivors among the 155 people aboard the Brazilian jetliner that collided ...

Brazil at a Crossroad on How to Deal with Current Energy Crisis

Brazil's current "energy crisis" should extend for "at least another four years," according to ...

Brazilian Airline Gol Celebrates 7th Birthday Flying 7 Million

Brazil Airline Gol, which also owns Varig Airline, has released passenger statistics for the ...

Food Prices Slow Inflation in Brazil

The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) announced today that the Broad Consumer ...

Chavez & Lula Win. Brazil Senate Votes for Admission of Venezuela into Mercosur

By 35 votes to 27, the Brazilian Senate approved today, December 15, the entry ...