site.btaBulgarian Red Cross Hosts Meeting of Organization’s Immigration Detention Group

Prof. Krasimir Gigov, General Director of the Bulgarian Red Cross (BRC), opened the 9th European Working Meeting of the Immigration Detention Group of the Red Cross National Societies, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which is taking place in Sofia on November 20-22, the organization said on Thursday.

"The Bulgarian Red Cross has been part of this group since 2015, from the time of the first such meeting in Oslo, Norway. For 9 years now, alongside nearly 20 other national societies, we have been working together with the International Committee offices in Belgrade, Paris and Geneva, as well as with the Federation's European Office in Brussels, to discuss protection as a process and to contribute to the updating of policies and initiatives at European level relating to immigration detention", said Gigov in his address. He also highlighted the fact that, despite the years dedicated to advocacy, today there is still much to be desired in terms of alternatives to detention and the way they are implemented in countries.

Representatives of 15 societies from Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK are participating in the meeting in Sofia, continuing their regular work to create opportunities for the national societies to fulfil their humanitarian mission.

The purpose of the meeting is to chart a clearer and more consolidated, common direction in positioning Red Cross national societies in this complex and dynamic environment, the press release said.