FES BRIEFING A SYSTEMIC ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON REFUGEES, MIGRANTS AND ASYLUM SEEKERS IN CYPRUS: Part I- An Overview published in collaboration with the Justice Project Sarah Morsheimer, Kyriaki Chatzipanagiotou Tina Mykkänen and Hrishabh Sandilya October 2020 CORE FINDINGS I. METHODOLOGY AND BACKGROUND Using a transdisciplinary systems-thinking approach, this time­line-based overview documents the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the social, economic, cultural and personal lives of refugees, migrants and asylum seekers in Cyprus, since March 2020. To date, the pandemic has resulted in a perceptible deteriora­tion in the quality of life of refugees, migrants and asylum seekers, with a discernible impact on personal freedoms, live­lihoods and economic security, mental health and general wellbeing, and personal development. A gendered impact of the pandemic is also noted, with wom­en having to take on additional household burdens and child rearing responsibilities. This is the first installation of a three-part research project that seeks to analyse the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on refugees, migrants and asylum seekers(RMAs) in the Republic of Cyprus(RoC). 1 Using a transdisciplinary systems-thinking approach, this study seeks to document the effects the pan­demic has had on the social, economic, cultural and personal lives of RMAs in the RoC, and to offer practical and effective recommendations based on these findings. Part I of the project offers a timeline-based overview of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on RMAs since March 2020. Part II is based on a detailed multi-city survey and inter­views with RMAs, offering first-person experiences and in­sight into the magnitude of the impact of the COVID-19 pan­demic on individuals, while Part III consists of a white paper on potential solutions to ameliorate these impacts. LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ARC Alien Registration Certificate CCy Caritas Cyprus CyRC Cyprus Refugee Council DCN Dignity Centre Nicosia EU European Union Gay, Bisexual, Transgender,Queer and Intersex Organisations PPE Personal Protective Equipment Migrants and Asylum Seekers RoC Republic of Cyprus TRNC Turkish Republic of North Cyprus UN United Nations UNHCR Nations High Commissioner for Refugees of International Students in Cyprus Part I is based on secondary research conducted via publicly available academic, news, and social media sources, and was informed by interviews with case workers at humanitarian or­ganizations, experts in the migration field, RMAs, and others on the ground. In addition to a discussion of major events, Part I provides a summary of the legal decrees relevant to RMAs issued by the government, presents the findings of a brief Gender Analysis in which the gendered impact of the pandemic is highlighted, and offers a short commentary on the situation in the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of North Cyprus(“TRNC”). The use of the term does not imply recogni­tion of the“TRNC” or its administrative bodies. on the use of the term RMAs in this paper: We use an intentionally broad term to cover the entire gamut of migrants in both the RoC and“TRNC”, including recognized refugees, migrant workers and students and asylum seekers, from outside both of the European Union(EU)(in the case of the RoC) and of Turkey(in the case of the“TRNC”). 1