International conference discusses reception of asylum seekers

The importance of the transfer and sharing of good practices on the reception of asylum seekers was discussed yesterday at a specialised conference held in Malta.

The conference was organised by the Organisation for the Integration and Welfare of Asylum Seekers with the collaboration of Enaro, the European Network of Asylum Reception Organisations and the Federal Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers, among others.

During the conference, delegates discussed a report drawn up by Rosa Hossain and Charles Watters from the European Centre for the Study of Migration, Health and Social Care within the University of Kent in the UK.

The report explores the development of a knowledge hub around asylum reception practices. The Hub, as the project is called, was funded by the European Commission and was aimed at exploring the possibility of transferring knowledge about the subject.

Explaining the report, Dr Watters said there were many good practices used all over Europe and the transfer of knowledge and the sharing of experiences was "the cornerstone" of the project.

The study draws on field reports from 11 countries produced by asylum reception practitioners participating in the project through the 2007 Enaro staff exchange.

The project aims to identify knowledge gaps across the network in relation to the implementation of the Council directive relating to the laying down of minimum standards for the reception of asylum seekers.