Iceland to receive 100 refugees this year

The Icelandic Government made an announcement today at a press meeting at the Prime Minister's residence in Reykjavik saying that two billion ISK have been allocated from government funds towards refugee aid and that one hundred refugees will be received in Iceland this year. These numbers are comprised both of so called "quota" refugees as well as refugees coming to Iceland through other means. Further refugee numbers to Iceland have not been decided as yet. 

The government funds allocated towards refugee aid will be spent in three ways: Firstly to support international charities and aid associations working with refugees abroad. The funds will be spent on purchase of food, medicine and also to aid a special Red Cross Iceland health care fund. Secondly, to receive refugees and asylum seekers to Iceland and to help them find homes here, to adjust to society and begin a new life. This goes both for those refugees coming here by the intervenance of the UN refugee institute and to those refugees who arrive here by other means. The first refugees will be arriving from a refugee camp in Lebanon in December. Thirdly, the funds will go towards speeding up the application process for asylum seekers in Iceland to respond to a greater number of applications to prevent the discomfort and uncertainty that long application processes can have for asylum seekers. 

The ministerial committee on refugee and immigrant matters will be placing these tasks to a team of five specialists which will be working with the committee on distributing these funds. 

If Parliament agrees to the Government's proposition, Iceland will be one of the countries making the biggest contribution towards helping refugees due to the Syrian crisis. The proposition of one billion of government funds in 2016 going to refugee aid means that Iceland will be second in offering most support to refugees per capita with Kuwait being first per capita. 

The Icelandic Government will furthermore be encouraging other nations to follow suit and will be speaking on the refugee crisis internationally. Iceland's Prime Minister will be addressing the topic at the UN general assembly in New York next week. 

The Government of Iceland also expresses thanks to the various municipalities and individuals in Iceland who have offered help and homes to refugees coming to Iceland.