The "World Refugees Day" will be observed in the country on June 20 (Wednesday). This year, theme of the Day is "Hope for the Future", for the millions of refugees and displaced people around the globe.
For years, many countries and regions have been holding their own refugee days and even weeks. One of the most widespread is Africa Refugee Day, which is also celebrated on June 20 in several countries.
The UN General Assembly adopted a Resolution 55/76 on December 4, 2000, in which, it noted that 2001 marked the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the status of refugees, and agreed to have International Refugee Day coincide with Africa Refugee Day on 20 June. The Assembly, therefore, decided that from 2001, June 20 would be observed as 'World Refugee Day'.
On this seventh anniversary of the United Nations-designated World Refugee Day, thousands of organisations in hundreds of countries will come together to focus global attention not only on the plight of refugees and the causes of their exile, but also on their determination and will to survive and on the contributions they make to their host communities.
In Pakistan, the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (Safron) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are organising a number of activities to express sympathy with refugees in the country.
Meanwhile talking to APP here on Tuesday, Minister for Safron Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind said the government is committed to repatriate Afghan refugees to their homeland in dignity and honour. In this regard, he urged the major donor countries to support UNHCR with generous contribution for sustained returns of Afghans from Pakistan.
According to census, around 2.467 million Afghans were living in Pakistan out of which 2.153 million have been registered in the government-led exercise. All registered Afghans above five received Proof of Registration (PoR) Cards issued by the government recognising them as Afghan citizens temporarily living in Pakistan. These cards, he said, are valid for three years, until December 2009.
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