At an event marking World Refugee Day on 19 June, organised by the UNHCR, Human Rights Ombudsman Matjaž Hanžek spoke about the problem of refugees in light of differences in wealth. He said that in the nineties, the unequal distribution of wealth owing to liberalisation had created on the one hand ultra rich, and on the other hand ultra poor groups of people. Poverty was not just a lack of money, but also a deprivation of health, education and social contacts. Under the banner of nationalist, religious or ideological goals, the rich exploited poverty and caused wars, whose by-product was refugees.

In Slovenia there had been no progress over the last ten years in the area of settling the conditions for refugees. Even now the authorities did not know how or did not wish to tackle the problem. Giving money to a group of refugees to arrange their situation created conflict between marginalised groups. There were still many groups in Slovenia that would be glad of a donation from the state to provide for their basic needs. The government should create such conditions that would allow the refugees to provide for themselves, thereby leading to their integration. The government must care for all socially threatened groups, which included refugees, the ombudsman added.