FES BRIEFING A SYSTEMIC ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON REFUGEES, MIGRANTS, AND ASYLUM SEEKERS IN CYPRUS: Part II – The Survey Published in collaboration with Voices of International Students in Cyprus(VOIS) Kyriaki Chatzipanagiotou, Samuel Akoni Hrishabh Sandilya, Sarah Morsheimer May 2021 CORE FINDINGS The survey confirms the previous findings of this study, as re­lated to the pandemic’s negative impacts on livelihoods, finan­cial survival, education and personal development opportuni­ties, and mental health on refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers in Cyprus. It also highlights and confirms areas where authorities need to do better- addressing delays in the issue of residence permits, improving COVID-19 related communication in multiple lan­guages, and improving access to healthcare and contracep­tion. Finally, it shows that discrimination and othering are rampant across the island and have probably increased due to the pan­demic- a trend that needs to be immediately addressed. LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CCy Caritas Cyprus CyRC Cyprus Refugee Council EU European Union GESY General Healthcare System Association for the Study of Forced Migration NGO Non-Governmental Organisation and Information Office of the Republic of Cyprus PPE Personal Protective Equipment RMAs Refugees, Migrants and Asylum Seekers RoC Republic of Cyprus TCN Third-Country National “TRNC” The Turkish Republic of North Cyprus UN United Nations UNHCR Nations High Commissioner for Refugees of International Students in Cyprus I. BACKGROUND In this, the second installation of a three-part study on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers(RMAs) in Cyprus, Project Phoenix and the Frie­drich-Ebert-Stiftung Cyprus Office provide the results of a de­tailed survey of these populations on both sides of the divided island. 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 these popula­tions in Cyprus, and to offer practical and effective recommen­dations based on these findings. Part I of the study offers a timeline-based overview of the COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020. Part II is based on a detailed multi-city survey and interviews, 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. The survey was conducted from September to late December 2020, with approximately 180 RMAs and international stu­dents as respondents. Building upon Part I of this study, the survey probed the impact of the pandemic on the health, live­lihoods, personal development, and education of these popu­lations, and analysed how the pandemic affected legal status, the delivery of social benefits, and whether it furthered dis­crimination. II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY While the situation has slightly improved from the first COV­ID-19-related lockdown in spring 2020, the findings from the survey, in most cases, reinforce the results of Part I of the study, while providing more insight into how exactly the pandemic has affected RMAs in Cyprus. This report also provides some interesting commentary on causes and possible correlations. 1