South Iceland to Receive Syrian Refugees
From Selfoss, South Iceland, which is part of Árborg municipality. mbl.is/Sigurður Bogi
Árborg municipality, South Iceland, will shortly be receiving several Syrian refuges. Minister of Social Affairs and Children Ásmundur Einar Daðason and Árborg Mayor Gísli H. Halldórsson recently signed an agreement to that effect, according to the ministry’s website.
The agreement involves the reception, assistance and services for five refugees 2019 through 2021. The people arrived in the country in May, along with 42 other refugees who settled in Hvammstangi and Blönduós. All of them are so-called quota refugees, that is, refugees invited to the country by the Icelandic State, in cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
This is the second time Árborg receives refugees invited by the Icelandic State, so the community has acquired substantial experience and knowledge in this area.
In cooperation with UNHCR and the Red Cross, Icelandic authorities have in recent years increased the number of quota refugees, and never have there been as many refugees in the world as now. This year, 75 quota refugees will be received in Iceland. The group consists of Syrian refugees, coming from Lebanon, and Kenyan refugees, coming from many parts of Africa.
“The reception of refugees has gone well in our country, and there is good cooperation between municipalities, the State and the Red Cross,” Ásmundur Einar states.
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