Flight and Migration

In its ruling rendered on July 4, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) condemned Switzerland in three of the four cases in which the State Secretariat for Migration refused to grant family reunification to individuals who partially relied on social assistance. The Service d'Aide Juridique aux Exilé-e-s (SAJE) lodged two appeals, one of which was successful.

On 14 May 2023, the strongest cyclone in a decade hit the shores of Bangladesh and Myanmar, two of the countries where HEKS/EPER is operating. In the days before the cyclone hit, HEKS supplied materials and helped the residents of the refugee camps in Bangladesh to reinforce their huts and prepare themselves accordingly. The coast of Myanmar was hit much harder by the cyclone. The local HEKS team is currently assessing the situation.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine began almost a year ago. The aid agency of the Protestant Church in Switzerland (HEKS/EPER) and its partner organisations – all of which were already operating in the region before the crisis – have used a budget of 10 million Swiss francs in Ukraine, its neighbouring countries and in Switzerland to help the victims of the conflict. 

The new strategy for the years 2023 to 2027 sets key priorities and lays the groundwork for the systematic implementation of our vision of a just world where the dignity of everyone is respected, peace prevails and the natural environment is preserved.

So far in Switzerland, it has been possible for temporarily admitted refugees to be joined by family members after a three-year waiting period, at the earliest. Following an appeal by a lawyer from the HEKS/EPER Legal Advice Centre (SAJE) in Lausanne, the Federal Administrative Court has now adapted its jurisprudence. Effective immediately, consideration of the right to family on a case-by-case basis must now begin before the end of the three-year period.

Despite all the urgent pleas from the international community, Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine undeterred. The worst fears have come true, as the civilian population is now being targeted in this atrocious war. Thousands are having to hide in bunkers, and two million people have already fled to neighbouring countries.