Strengthening Civil Society to Promote Rights Based Social Welfare (DIGNIFIED)

The Challenge

Cyprus receives one of the highest numbers of asylum applications per capita in Europe, yet its reception and integration systems remain critically underdeveloped. These gaps weigh most heavily on applicants who face additional challenges because of their personal circumstances, among them persons with disabilities, survivors of violence, pregnant women, single parents, and people living with chronic illness. Many encounter serious practical and structural barriers when they seek reception support and services suited to their needs.

The material support available to asylum seekers has not been revised since 2022, despite rapid inflation and rising housing costs. A single adult receives a housing allowance of just €100 per month, well below the cost of even a shared room in Nicosia, where average rents may exceed €650. Asylum seekers are also excluded from disability support provisions available to the general population, and there are no standardized referral pathways for people with vulnerabilities once they leave initial reception. These structural gaps leave many Vulnerable Applicants for International Protection unable to meet their basic needs.

At the same time, the civil society organizations best placed to identify these challenges and advocate for those affected face significant constraints in resources, capacity, and institutional recognition. Migrant led and vulnerability-focused organizations in particular face funding insecurity and limited access to policymaking spaces, forcing many to prioritize immediate crisis response over systemic advocacy.

What DIGNIFIED Sets Out to Do

DIGNIFIED works to advance reform of Cyprus’s reception conditions system through advocacy that is led by civil society and grounded in human rights. It also sets out to strengthen the ability of civil society organizations, in particular migrant led, women-led, and grassroots actors, to take a meaningful part in inclusive and democratic policymaking processes.

The project follows two specific objectives: first, to promote evidence-based reform and improved implementation of social welfare policies affecting applicants and recipients of international protection; and second, to strengthen the capacity of civil society, particularly migrant led and grassroots actors, to engage in democratic processes and influence rights-based social policy for vulnerable migrants and refugees.

Key Activities

• Participatory research centered on the lived experiences of asylum applicants with specific reception needs, carried out through a survey, in-depth interviews, and a focus group with civil society professionals.
• Development of a policy report and policy brief grounded in evidence, including recommendations drafted together with civil society actors.
• Structured advocacy dialogue meetings bringing together relevant authorities and civil society actors.
• A six-hour capacity building training for 25 professionals and civil society representatives.
• Sustained cooperation with G2RED (Greece) to support knowledge exchange and peer learning across borders.
• A final conference presenting the project’s findings and policy recommendations.

Who Benefits

DIGNIFIED serves three interconnected groups. The primary group is migrant led-, and vulnerability focused civil society organizations and professionals, who will be engaged in research, policy report development, structured advocacy meetings with institutional stakeholders, and capacity-building training. The second group is institutional stakeholders, including the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare and members of parliament, who will receive evidence based findings and recommendations and be invited into direct dialogue with civil society. The third group is Vulnerable Applicants for International Protection themselves, who will participate in the research process and benefit in the long term from stronger civil society advocacy and improved policy outcomes.

The project’s policy report and brief will be made publicly available online and shared with at least 15 stakeholders, ensuring that findings reach beyond the project’s direct participants and continue to inform advocacy after the project ends.

Project Details

Implementer: Generation for Change CY

Duration: February 2026 to March 2027

Funding Program:

The project DIGNIFIED is implemented within the framework of the PLATO programme, with Generation for Change CY as the implementing body. PLATO is co-funded by the European Union through the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) Programme, the Bodossaki Foundation and the NGO Support Centre, with a total grant amount of €3.1 million.