Top UN refugee official to visit Russian Federation
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) leaves tomorrow for the Russian Federation for consultations
with Government, civil society and the UN country team on the asylum system, the situation of statelessness and internal
displacement.
During his stay, Antonio Guterres is also expected to visit the Northern Caucasus region of the Russian Federation,
including the Republics of North Ossetia-Alania, Ingushetia, and the Chechen Republic, where UNHCR is an active
participant in humanitarian operations.
At the State Duma in Moscow, the High Commissioner is set to launch a Russian version of the Handbook for
Parliamentarians on Nationality and Statelessness published jointly in 2005 by UNHCR and the Inter-Parliamentary Union
(IPU).
UNHCR established its office in the Russian Federation in 1992, and has since provided protection and assistance to
refugees and internally displaced persons in the Russian Federation amounting to more than $170 million.