UN high commissioner for refugees to pay visit to Tajikistan

While in Dushanbe, Mr. Grandi will hold meetings with a number of high-ranking Tajik officials to discuss issues related to response in the event of the arrival of refugees, including preparedness efforts and the search for durable solutions for refugees, Nodira Akbaraliyeva, Associate Communications Officer, UNHCR Office in Tajikistan, told Asia-Plus in an interview. 

Along with official meetings, UN High Commissioner for Refugees is reportedly also scheduled to meet with refugees in Vahdat Township and visit the temporary shelter for refugees in Jaliliddin-Balkhi District, Khatlon Province. 

Despite the fact that humanitarian crisis remains mostly within Afghanistan, UNHCR cooperates with the governments of the countries of the region, including the government of Tajikistan, to enhance their preparedness for potential influx of refugees and ensure that relevant government agencies respond in accordance with the requirements of international protection. 

UNHCR Office says there are 13,773 refugees and asylum-seekers living in Tajikistan by the end of December 2021.  

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a UN agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to a third country.  It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, with over 17,300 staff working in 135 countries.