Sanctuary in the Senedd for immediate release – Wales welcomes 1000th Syrian refugee & celebrates our journey towards becoming a Nation of Sanctuary

Sanctuary in Wales

Tomorrow, over a hundred people will join together in the Senedd to celebrate how far Wales has come on its journey to becoming a ‘nation of sanctuary’.

Imagine having to grab your family and run, leaving everything you know and love behind to try to find a safe place and the chance of a new life. This is the plight of 68.5 million people worldwide who have been forcibly displaced from their homes due to persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations.  One person is forced to flee every 2 seconds – people just like you or me.

People like you and me, living across Wales that have also offered the hand of friendship to the tiny proportion of displaced people seeking sanctuary within our communities. Welsh communities have responded to the ‘refugee crisis’ by opening their hearts and homes to new friends and neighbours, by offering a warm Welsh welcome and setting up co-ordinated support through groups and places of sanctuary. In doing so our lives are enriched beyond measure and we share friendships with some of the most uplifting, inspiring and resilient people you will ever have the fortunate to meet.

As well as having 4 asylum dispersal areas (Cardiff, Newport, Swansea and Wrexham) every local authority in Wales has now resettled Syrian refugee families. Wales has several recognised places of sanctuary including Swansea, Cardiff and Wrexham with countless other local sanctuary groups, ‘Schools of Sanctuary’ and even a ‘Shop of Sanctuary’! New initiatives to create local places of sanctuary are springing up all the time. But we want and need to do more!

As Wales prepares to welcome the 1000^th Syrian refugee, agencies, communities and sanctuary seekers gather in Cardiff Bay to celebrate how far we’ve come on our journey towards becoming a Nation of Sanctuary. A whole country where people seeking sanctuary find people who welcome them, understand why they are here, support them and most important of all, actively include them as participants, volunteers and members, wherever they go.

Co-ordinated by the Welsh Refugee Coalition, and delivered in partnership with Public Health Wales, Cymru Well Wales, Welsh Government and the Welsh Local Government Association, Sanctuary in the Senedd showcases how Wales is supporting the integration of sanctuary seekers regardless of how they arrived in the country or where they have come from.

Larysa, a Red Cross Voices Ambassador from Newport said,

‘Safety. Peace. Acceptance. Friendliness. Multiculturalism. Beauty. Hope. This is my Wales’.

Rocio Cifuentes, Chair of the Welsh Refugee Coalition, said

‘We are proud of how far Wales has travelled in becoming a Nation of Sanctuary but the Welsh Refugee Coalition would like to see Welsh Government action backed up a budget and much more needs to be done to ensure the most vulnerable asylum seekers and refugees are identified and supported so that people live with dignity and not destitution.’

The Deputy Minister and Chief Whip, Jane Hutt, said:

“As we mark this significant milestone of 1,000 Syrian refugees being welcomed to Wales under our Resettlement Schemes, I am immensely proud of the welcome provided across our country – refugees have been met with empathy and friendship.

“We may be a small country but what unites our nation is a common desire to improve who we are and what we do.

“Becoming a Nation of Sanctuary, which Welsh Government has committed to work towards, is the responsibility of everyone in Wales. We have made considerable progress but there is always more we can and will do to ensure fairness for everyone, regardless of background.

“I extend many thanks to our partner organisations for their crucial support in ensuring refugees feel safe and welcomed.”

Dr Gill Richardson, Assistant Director for Policy, Research and International Development at Public Health Wales, said:

“Health and well-being are an essential part of the Welsh Government’s Nation of Sanctuary Plan. We know from our report published yesterday that people seeking sanctuary face many challenges to enjoying good health and accessing healthcare. Health sector professionals in Wales are committed to addressing these challenges to ensure that people seeking sanctuary have the same opportunities to enjoy good health as others in Wales, but we recognise there remains work to be done on this.’