Iberia signed a collaboration agreement with the UN Refugee Agency that will facilitate the free transfer of refugees and their families to Spain with the aim of providing solutions and contributing to rebuilding their lives. These transfers will be carried out within the framework of legal processes and institutional programmes and initiatives established for this purpose.
This agreement will help safeguard the universal right to family unity that is not enjoyed by millions of refugees and displaced people who have been forced to flee their homes by war and persecution, and who have been separated from their families.
The agreement may also benefit relatives of refugees who are beneficiaries of temporary or subsidiary protection who travel to Spain with the aim of reuniting with their families in the context of family reunification processes; refugees who have been identified and selected based on their previous training and academic profile and have been accepted by the relevant authorities to undertake academic studies at educational institutions in Spain; and other refugees who are admitted to Spain within the framework of applicable protection processes and programmes and who require support for their transfer to Spain.
Iberia and the UNHCR will work together to identify the possible beneficiaries, and the number and origin of the routes. In addition, they will establish a Technical Committee that will be responsible for developing a work plan, monitoring actions, evaluating results, and launching new cooperation proposals. This collaboration agreement will mostly take advantage of the 18 routes that Iberia operates in 16 Latin American countries.
The collaboration agreement was signed by Sophie Muller, the representative in Spain of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and María Jesús López Solás, Iberia’s Commercial and Network Development and Alliances Director. “We are very proud and excited to be able to collaborate with the UNHCR in their goal of helping refugees and displaced people rebuild their lives. This agreement is part of Iberia's strategy of contributing to social improvements and is in line with our mission of connecting people around the world, generating prosperity,” said López Solás. For her part, the UNHCR representative in Spain celebrated the fact that “this agreement will make it possible for refugees to reunite with their families and find lasting solutions to the problems they face.” Sophie Muller pointed out that this agreement is part of the UN Global Compact and the Global Refugee Forum, which begins tomorrow in Geneva (Switzerland).
The Global Refugee Forum is the most important international meeting for refugees and takes place every four years. This year it will be held in Geneva from 13 – 15 December. It is a space of solidarity in which many governments, civil society agents, the private sector, academics, and institutions will share their contributions to promote the inclusion and integration of refugees in the world.
