Members of the refugee parliament vote in Bern on Sunday
Keystone / Peter Klaunzer
Around 75 refugees from 19 cantons and 15 countries met in Bern on Sunday for the first Swiss refugee parliament. Participants discussed and put forward various proposals for improvement.
Family visits in the Schengen area for provisionally admitted persons, better access to education, or that apprentices whose applications have been rejected be able to complete their apprenticeships: these are some of the requests made by those present, said the National Coalition Building InstituteExternal link (NCBI), which organised the event in a church.
The refugee parliament also voted in favour of extending family reunification to parents of children already in Switzerland.
More
More
Landmark forum seeks ‘better answers’ to refugee response
This content was published on
The first-ever “Global Refugee Forum” opens in Geneva on Monday to identify practical solutions to improve the lives of refugees and host communities.
Members of the House of Representatives and the Senate were present on Sunday and could therefore relay these demands in the form of motions to the federal parliament. Lisa Mazzone from the Green Party said too often votes were taken in parliament without all parliamentarians knowing the actual situation of refugees.
“There needs to be a meeting between the refugee parliament and the federal parliament,” she said.
Making their voices heard
The NCBI, an association that is active in several countries and which works against violence and discrimination, said refugees were too often discussed without being able to express their views themselves.
Representatives of NGOs Caritas and Terre des Hommes Switzerland and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) also took part in this first event of its kind, the results of which will be made public on June 21.
More
More
Switzerland to take in up to 1,600 refugees
This content was published on
The government has decided to welcome up to 1,600 refugees over two years as part of an international resettlement programme.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Deal seeks to integrate refugees in Swiss job market
This content was published on
The Swiss government has agreed to triple its financial contribution to help boost the integration of refugees into the labour market.
Cantons to offer ‘pre-apprenticeship’ training to refugees
This content was published on
Switzerland is rolling out a pilot scheme to help refugees and asylum seekers allowed to stay in the country prepare for an apprenticeship.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.