The Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees, Leyla Kayacik, (SRSG) carried out a fact-finding mission to Romania from 12 to 14 December 2022.

The visit focused on the situation of people in vulnerable situations who continue to flee Ukraine and explored possibilities for the Council of Europe to provide support and expertise  to the authorities, including at local level, in the framework of the Action Plan on Protecting Vulnerable Persons in the Context of Migration and Asylum in Europe (2021-2025).

It included meetings with the People's Advocate of Romania, and with representatives of International Organisations and NGOs. The Special Representative also visited registration and reception centres.

As a follow up to the SRSG´s report on her fact-finding visit to Poland, on 19-20 December, the Council of Europe organised a pilot training: Psychological Support to Refugees: Strengthening Professional Capacities in Warsaw. 

The training - organised by the Directorate of Political Affairs and External Relations of the Council of Europe, in close cooperation with the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees and the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs - was aimed at enhancing the capacities of relevant professionals working on the ground to detect war-related traumas of mainly women and children from Ukraine and treat them adequately based on the expertise of the Council of Europe.

As another follow up to the SRSG’s visit to Poland, on 20 October, the Council of Europe and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in co-operation with the national Bar Association launched the HELP course on Asylum and Human Rights for Polish legal professionals. The course addressed main challenges and best practices that legal professionals face in their daily work in the context of migration.

On the occasion of the International Migrants Day (18 December), the Council of Europe launched a Handbook on the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse in crisis and emergency situations.

“There is a heightened risk of children going missing when they are on the move, including from the reception facilities, responsible for protecting them. This Handbook highlights different challenges, including this one and how to address them,” the SRSG stated.

The SRSG represented the Council of Europe at the 73rd session of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner’s Programme in Geneva. She commended the generosity shown by member states hosting the unprecedented number of refugees fleeing Ukraine. In her speech, she highlighted Council of Europe´s work in this context and informed the participants on her fact-finding visits to Slovakia, the Czech Republic, to Poland and to the Republic of Moldova. “With the UNHCR, we are jointly organising follow-up activities in the countries visited, aiming at protecting the human rights of the most vulnerable persons. The European Convention on Human Rights together with the Geneva Convention constitute the basis for our work”, she said.

Addressing the 43rd session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, the SRSG said that she has witnessed the situation on the ground and met relevant stakeholders, including the regional authorities. In the reports on her fact-finding missions she provided targeted recommendations on how the Council of Europe could support its member states.

“There is a need to protect women and children from all forms of violence, from human trafficking, abuse and exploitation. Their access to health care, including psychological support, to housing, to education, to linguistic integration and, ultimately, their inclusion into host societies have to be ensured” she said.

The 6th meeting of the Network of Focal Points on Migration, chaired by the SRSG, took place on 1-2 December.

In addition to the SRSG’s overview of the ongoing and upcoming activities, the meeting included a presentation of the Committee of Ministers Recommendation on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings for the purpose of labour exploitation, and recent and ongoing activities of the Education Department relevant for migrants and refugees.

The network was also informed on the recent case-law of the European Court of Human Rights in the fields of migration and asylum, as well as on the migration-related work of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.

Member states provided updates on recent legal and policy developments in their countries.

Finally, on 8-10 November, the SRSG  hosted the second study visit of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex team of Fundamental Rights Monitors to the Council of Europe. The visit focused on the standards of the Council of Europe and the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights.