UNHCR and the Malaysian Government have been in discussion for years to explore options to support the Government in the management of the refugee situation. With the longer term perspective of establishing a government asylum system, a capacity sharing programme is currently being implemented. In this context, government officers are familiarised with the principles of refugee protection and law as well as the UNHCR Registration and Refugee Status Determination (RSD) processes.
As part of this process, UNHCR has invited government officials to the UNHCR office to observe what the interviews with persons of concern look like, as in-person observation is part of the training.
UNHCR is preparing for the in-person observation of a number of Registration and RSD interviews, which will take place between 7-11 March 2022, by identifying and selecting some persons of concern across all nationalities, who are willing and have given consent for a government official to observe their Registration and RSD interview. The selected persons of concern were counselled and explained the background of this activity and were given the opportunity to give their permission or not give their permission for a government official to observe their interview.
The government official will not be conducting the Registration and RSD interviews themselves and will not be asking the person of concern any questions directly. Also, the government official will not be involved in the RSD decision making. As always, everyone involved in interviews is obligated to fully maintain confidentiality throughout all processes.
These efforts are an important part of the process to enable the government to better understand UNHCR’s procedures and eventually support the government with the management of the refugee situation and the protection of refugees in Malaysia. It will also allow government colleagues to gain a more detailed understanding of the situation of refugees and why they had to leave their countries as well as the protection needs of refugees in Malaysia and globally.