Romania gets 1.4 million dollars from the UN to finance the Centre for emergency transit refugees in Timisoara

A centre for emergency transit refugees has been set up in Timisoara (West Romania) It can lodge up to 200 persons and it is a stop refugees resort to in their way to a certain destination. It currently holds 85 refugees, with the youngest one being born here on September 3. Romanian state secretary for the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) Bogdan Aurescu launched Tuesday in Geneva, during the High Commission for UN Refugees annual session, a presentation album. He will also talk about Romania’s experience in this area.

In 1999, Romania received 4.000 refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. They were lodge at the centre in Timisoara and they sent towards other countries. In 2005 and 2006, Romania allowed the UN Refugee Agency (UNCHR) to transfer over 400 Uzbeks from Kyrgyzstan. When the issue of setting up a refugee transit centre was raised at an international level, Romania showed interest and was backed by host countries, like the US, Sweden, and the Netherlands, offering funds. UNCHR funds this centre from the donations made by the host countries. The budget for 2009 is 1.4 million dollars.

„It is a great chance for Romania to open a path and create a pattern in a humanitarian subject, extremely sensitive at an international level”, Bogdan Aurescu told HotNews.ro before leaving to Geneva, where he’s due to present Romania’s experience on the issue.

The centre in Timisoara can receive up to 200 persons who cannot stay in the first asylum country, for security reasons, until concluding formalities for the new life about to begin in a different country. There are currently 85 refugees in the asylum Centre in Timisoara, which was officially opened in March 2009.

Aurescu said he visited the Centre on June 19, during the International refugees’ Day, and he was impressed with the personal histories he learnt, but also with the care showed by the centre’s staff. Due to its experience and pioneering on the issue, Romania was invited to present the project from Timisoara with the UN High Commission for refugees. Bogdan Aurescu will launch on Tuesday in Geneva an album presenting the centre. The album was put together by the Romanian Government, UNCHR and the International Migration Organisation.

The Centre in Timisoara is unique, but its success determined UNCHR to show its intention to mirror it in Europe, Africa and Asia. .