Bicycle ride dedicated to World Refugee Day held in Bishkek

Bishkek, June 20, 2022. / Kabar /. A cycling race dedicated to the World Refugee Day, proclaimed by the UN in honor of refugees around the world, was held today in Bishkek.

According to the Ministry of Labour, Social Protection and Migration, the event was organized jointly by the UNHCR and the UN Refugee Agency.

The race was attended by young people from among refugees and citizens of Kyrgyzstan, demonstrating that with the support of host communities, people forced to flee can build a new life and maintain a sense of dignity. The event was organized with the participation of refugee volunteers, who thus paid tribute to the people of Kyrgyzstan for their hospitality.

“World Refugee Day is a moment of recognition for those communities and people around the world who have opened their doors and hearts to refugees. The Kyrgyz Republic has established its own national asylum system and has generously accepted over 20,000 refugees since the 1990s. Many of these refugees either integrated into the Kyrgyz Republic, were resettled, or returned voluntarily to their countries. One of the significant results of this activity is assistance to refugees in acquiring citizenship,” said Minister of Labour, Social Security and Migration Kudaibergen Bazarbaev.

According to his data, since 2002 more than 9,000 people have acquired the citizenship of the Kyrgyz Republic.

One of the participants in the race, 16-year-old refugee Romal Azhmal, has been fond of cycling since childhood. In 2017, he began training at the Golden Wheels cycling club, and later his younger brother Lemar, 14, followed suit. Since then, with the support of the honored coach Nikolai Dyadichkin, the Azhmal brothers have already won several cycling competitions. Like all other refugees in Kyrgyzstan, Romal and Lemar most of all want to become citizens of Kyrgyzstan in order to be able to win medals for Kyrgyzstan in international competitions.

“UNHCR is ready to continue to provide assistance to Kyrgyzstan so that refugees can have an access to all the rights, services and responsibilities to which they are entitled in accordance with the standards and obligations of the Kyrgyz Republic in the field of human rights. On the World Refugee Day, let's join forces so that refugees can unlock their amazing potential and contribute to the development of their host communities,” said Hans Friedrich Schodder, UNHCR Representative for Central Asia.

Over the past decade, the number of people forced to leave their homes has increased every year. Recently, the number of people forced to flee conflicts, wars, persecution and human rights violations exceeded 100 million for the first time in the history of such calculations. This means that 1 out of every 78 people on earth has been forced to flee.

As of December 31, 2021, there were 1,003 refugees and asylum seekers in Kyrgyzstan, most of whom fled Afghanistan and have been living peacefully in Kyrgyzstan for decades.