Afghanistan + 1 more
Afghanistan: Rind asks international community to respond to UNHCR financial appeal
ISLAMABAD, May 12 (APP): Minister
for States and Frontier Region (SAFRON) Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind Friday
asked the international community and major donor countries to contribute
generously towards the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)'s
financial appeal for assisting the repatriation of Afghan refugees from
Pakistan. He said this while talking to the Representative of the UNHCR
Janel Lim in Geneva, Switzerland. According to a message, he briefed the
UNHCR representative about the government efforts for the voluntary repatriation
of Afghans. He said around 205,000 non-registered Afghan refugees have
returned to their homeland from Pakistan in the last six-months, adding,
this was made possible with the cooperation and support of the UNHCR. "Afghan
refugees were offered an enhanced financial package of US $ 100 as compared
to the earlier practice of paying US $ 7 to 30, per person. He said financial
package is costing US $ 20 million, adding, Pakistan contributed US $ 5
million towards this first phase of repatriation programme. He hoped that
international community and major countries would come forward and help
UNHCR to meet the estimated costs of the project. The Minister informed
that repatriation of registered Afghans would be completed within the next
three-year. He underlined that better health, education, economic and security
conditions in Afghanistan would highly facilitate the repatriation process.
Janel Lim UNHCR also highlighted UNHCR's repatriation policy, which was
based on "voluntary return with safety and dignity". She reiterated
UNHCR's appeal for additional US $ 15 million to enable the repatriation
for 100,000 Afghans initially. Afghan refugees repatriation programme was
divided into two phase: return of non-registered Afghans, which had already
completed and the return of registered Afghan nationals, scheduled to complete
in the next three years.