President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova met today with the Regional Director of the United Nations Refugee Agency for Europe, Philippe Leclerc, and attended the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with UNHCR.
At the meeting, the President extended congratulations on the occasion of the anniversary, noting that UNHCR played a key role in the protection and support of refugees, asylum seekers and persons without documents and identity.
As confirmation of the merits and role of UNHCR, the President pointed to the “Olympic Laurel” award from the cradle of peace, the Olympic movement, which at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris this year was received by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr. Filippo Grandi, from the International Olympic Committee.
In her talks with Leclerc, she expressed her gratitude to UNHCR for the three-decade cooperation with the Macedonian authorities in the field of promoting human rights, protecting refugees, and building an inclusive society, and stressed her readiness to further strengthen the partnership and participate in regional and global humanitarian initiatives.
The President is proud to have been part of the parliamentary group that passed the amendments to the relevant laws, the implementation of which resolved the status of several hundred people without documents and identity, mainly refugees, and it is no coincidence that she received special recognition from Mr. Filippo Grandi for her pioneering role in the protection of refugees.
As part of the celebration of the anniversary, a discussion was held on the past experiences of UNHCR and the Government in relation to refugees, and the exhibition “Black and White Lives” was featured.
