4.9.3.3. Information provided by organisations and public authorities

Various organisations and public authorities continued to play an important role in providing information on employment, education, health care, housing and other aspects of everyday life. For example, Jobsplus and UNHCR Malta collaborated to create an informational video series for refugees and asylum seekers looking for employment in Malta. The video series has an English voiceover with subtitles in Arabic, Bengali, French, Somali and Tigrinya.812

Hal Far Outreach and RIME Malta, in close cooperation with asylum seekers living in Malta, produced an informational leaflet on a variety of topics, including basic information about Malta, health services, education, housing opportunities, banking, transportation, employment, government offices and local NGOs.813

Are You Syrious and BIRD published a handbook explaining access to health care for beneficiates of international protection in Croatia.814  The Refugee.Info team, in Greece and Italy, supplied up-to-date information on daily living, including housing, health care, employment, education, social benefits and numerous other topics.815

With regard to urban asylum seekers and refugees living in the Sofia region of Bulgaria, UNHCR funded an Information Centre, run by the Red Cross, along with an Information Bureau for Third-Country Nationals, co-funded by the Sofia municipality, both located in Sofia. In 2022, altogether 992 asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection (438 individuals at the Information Centre and 554 at the Information Bureau) were provided 1,494 consultations and different types of information (654 consultations at the Information Centre and 842 consultations at the Information Bureau).

UNHCR Greece launched a new Facebook information page with advice and information on everyday living in Greece, including services which are accessible to refugees and asylum seekers, children's programmes and employment opportunities. Information is posted in Arabic, English and Farsi, with plans to add other languages in the future.816 The organisation also provided support in the development of information material in multiple languages to be displayed in the quarantine areas of the CCACs and RICs on the islands and Evros, donated audio-visual equipment, and continued to be engaged in the information provision of new arrivals in CCACs and RICs.

RefugeeHelp launched a website with information on a range of topics for beneficiaries of international protection in the Netherlands. The website was initially designed to provide information to Ukrainian refugees, but it has since been updated for all refugees and asylum seekers. The website is currently available in English, Dutch, Russian and Ukrainian but will soon be available in Arabic, Dari, Farsi, French, Somali, Tigrinya and Turkish.817 

The Foundation for Access to Rights, in partnership with the International Rescue Committee, announced it will be part of an international network for accessible information for refugees in Bulgaria. The aim will be to provide accurate information to asylum seekers and other migrants on their rights and benefits, including legal aid, social assistance, health and psychological support, education and long-term accommodation options.818 In addition, the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee continued to provide information through audio material and through the asylum.bg platform, funded by UNHCR.

Moreover, several NGOs developed tools and resources for people working with refugees and refugee-led organisations. To showcase a few examples, Save the Children in Denmark launched a new website providing information and material to volunteers and professionals who welcome refuge children. Experts from the organisation offered their knowledge and experiences through one-day training sessions, educational resources and guidance.819

The Cyprus Refugee Council, alongside the Aditus Foundation in Malta, developed a training kit to support refugee-led organisations in their efforts to enhance the human rights of refugees. The toolkit aims to strengthen refugee inclusion by empowering refugees who want to play an active role in their communities and at the EU level.820