The Icelandic government intends to accept asylum seekers from Afghanistan this summer.
Iceland, like many European countries, has an agreement with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to accept a certain number of asylum seekers every year. As RÚV reports, this year is no exception.
All told, this summer Iceland will be welcoming eight Afghani refugees currently residing in Iran. UNHCR has placed emphasis on Afghani refugees in Iran, especially women, as being in urgent need of help.
Iceland regularly accepts asylum seekers, although not very many. Statistics from the Ministry of Welfare show that as of 2007, Iceland has agreed to accept 25 to 30 asylum seekers each year. This agreement is made between the Icelandic government, the Red Cross, and UNHCR. For the most part Iceland has stayed within the bounds of its refugee quota, with the exception of 1999, in which 77 refugees from the war in Kosovo arrived.
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