The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and several NGOs lavished praise on Guyana for its welcoming stance towards refugees at a panel discussion hosted on World Refugee Day under the theme ‘Building Bridges Beyond Borders: Inclusion and Acceptance,’ in the George Walcott Lecture Theatre at the University of Guyana’s Turkeyen Campus last week.
Testimonials from experts deeply entrenched in refugee affairs highlighted how Guyanese communities have progressively embraced and integrated displaced populations, a transformation attributed to educational initiatives and heightened awareness of global crises.
Head of the UNHCR National Office Adriana Negry, during an interview with Stabroek News, expressed appreciation for Guyana’s strides in integrating Venezuelans and forcibly displaced persons, particularly in education and healthcare. Acknow-ledging ongoing challenges such as employment access and language barriers, Negry noted collaborative efforts with the Ministry of Education to address these issues, aiming for broader community integration.