Since 2015, Slovakia has seen an increase in the number of foreigners, and by 31. 12. 2019 there were a total of 143 075 of them living in the SR, which is still only 2,62 % of the total population of the SR. In absolute numbers between 2015 and 2019, this is an increase of 58 288 foreign women and men, with the majority being citizens of third countries.
The monitoring report presented, titled Monitorovacia správa Ambrely o napĺňaní Agendy 2030 a riešení migrácie v SR (2015 – 2019), authored by the duo Zuzana Števulová and Daniel Kaba, compares the situation and developments in the field of migration in relation to the priorities and goals of Agenda 2030. It focuses on the period 2015–2019, and therefore does not deal with the situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2018, Slovakia chose six national priorities for implementing Agenda 2030 (among seventeen Sustainable Development Goals). These priorities are: education for a dignified life, the transition to a knowledge-based and environmentally sustainable economy amid demographic change and a changing global context, poverty reduction and social inclusion, sustainable settlements, regions and countries in the context of climate change, rule of law, democracy and security, and good health. The issue of migration is, however, not explicitly mentioned among the national priorities.
In the monitoring report, you can read more about the social, economic, and political integration of migrants in the SR during the observed period, as well as about the regularized arrival of migrants from third countries in the SR. A dedicated part is devoted to development and, respectively, humanitarian aid linked to migration. SlovakAid’s humanitarian and post-humanitarian projects almost exclusively address aid to refugees in Lebanon, internally displaced persons (Syria, Ukraine, South Sudan), or so-called returnees (Iraq). As for development cooperation, the SR is mainly engaged in Kenya with the aim of helping to reduce displacement from rural areas and migration to cities.
For more reading, see the Ambrely monitoring report titled Monitorovacia správa Ambrely o napĺňaní Agendy 2030 a riešení migrácie v SR (2015 – 2019) / Monitoring paper on Agenda 2030 implementation and migration management in Slovakia (2015 – 2019), which was produced as part of the project Global Goals and Migration, supported with EU funds through the DEAR programme in Slovak and in English in the appendices.