Regional long-term strategy for Afghan refugees

ISLAMABAD: Delegations from the Islamic Republics of Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan and UNHCR met here for the latest round of discussions on a multi-year strategy for Afghan refugee populations in the region.

It was the third time the participants met ahead of a planned International Conference on a Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees, which is planned for early 2012, says a press release here Thursday.

Opening the session, Shaukat Ullah, Minister of States and Frontier Regions, welcomed the delegates and expressed optimism that the talks would pave the way for next year's international gathering.

The delegations were led by Habibullah Khan, Pakistan's Federal Secretary of the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions, Seyed Mohammad Tahavori, Director General of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants' Affairs (BAFIA), Dr. Abdul Samad Hami, Deputy Minister of the Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR) and Kasidis Rochanakorn, Director of UNHCR's Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific.

UNHCR country representatives for Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran also took part.The Islamic Republics of Pakistan and Iran have hosted Afghan refugees for more than three decades. Since 2002, more than five million Afghan refugees have voluntarily returned home, the majority with UNHCR assistance.

Some two million registered Afghan refugees remain in Pakistan with a further one million in Iran. Next year's conference will seek international support for a multi-year strategy to address the world's most protracted refugee situation.

A regional voluntary repatriation and sustainable re-integration programme for Afghan refugees now in Pakistan and Iran will remain at the centre of the plan.

The strategy seeks to support the re-integration of refugees through programmes that will improve the economic conditions of Afghans returning home.

Programmes to assist communities in Pakistan that continue to host Afghan refugees and support for Iran's refugee initiatives in health, education and vocational training will also feature in the strategy.

The meeting concluded with the participants highlighting the importance of getting the international community's support for the multi-year strategy.

They also stressed the need to develop a framework for coordination and resource mobilization to ensure the engagement of all parties involved.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011