Brasília - Of the nearly 20 million refugees in the world, slightly more than 3 thousand are in Brazil. The advisor to the National Committee for Refugees (Conare), Renato Zerbini Ribeiro Leão, observed, yesterday (26), that refugees here can rely on real protection. "Brazil's refugee protection legislation is one of the most highly developed in the world," he affirmed, referring to Law 9,474/97.

Leão took part in a meeting in Brasília to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the Cartagena Declaration on Refugees and discuss the situation of refugees in the member countries of the Mercosur (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay).

For Leão, who is also the Presiding Director of the International Human Rights Protection Center (CPIDH), there is strong cooperation among the government, civil society, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, forming a truly effective protection network in Brazil. He also stated that, when they arrive in Brazil, refugees are given the opportunity to become part of society, where they are well cared for. "They receive documents and training to engage in professional activities. Many countries still lack the specific legislation that exists in Brazil. In these States, refugees are not as well protected," he said.

Agência Brasil
Reporter: Danielle Gurgel
Translator: David Silberstein
08/27/2004