ISLAMABAD: In a meeting recently held with Indrika Ratwatte, UNHCR Country Representative, Jakob Rogild Jakobsen, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Denmark, discussed the current situation of the Afghan refugees and the internally displaced person in Pakistan.
He noted, “empowering the Afghan refugee youth in Pakistan through enhanced vocational training and livelihoods projects is an important initiative to bolster the human capital of Afghan refugees and allow them to contribute to the reconstruction and development processes upon return to Afghanistan”.
While discussing the current status of refugees and the voluntary repatriation process, Jakobsen appreciated the ongoing UNHCR’s work and said that the Government of Denmark looks at the Afghan refugee crisis from a regional perspective and focuses on the sustainable solutions that would help refugees and internally displaced persons secure access to protection as close to their home as possible. Denmark is among the biggest contributors to UNHCR’s regional program in South West Asia.
At the occasion, Ratwatte was also of the view that the UNHCR Pakistan supports youth empowerment through a nexus of inter-linked interventions in the areas of education, skills training and livelihood support. He recalled that an inclusive and equitable education and promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for all has been agreed upon in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Government of Denmark has allocated approximately USD three million towards the ongoing UNHCR programmes in Pakistan for 2016. Denmark’s contribution will support the implementation of Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees, UNHCR’s activities towards voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan and various efforts to empower refugee youth in Pakistan through the provision of vocational training and technical skills.
To date, Danish funds for UNHCR Pakistan amount to a total of USD 13.2 million, since 2013. Ratwatte also highlighted that due to the generous support from Denmark and other donors, UNHCR has been able to implement a five-year Health transition strategy (2014-2018), which has been developed by UNHCR and has gradually been rolled out and aimed at implementing the progressive disengagement of UNHCR from the existing parallel system of Basic Health Unit (BHUs) exiting in the Rural Villages (RVs).
Pakistan constitutes one of largest protracted refugee situation worldwide and continues to generously host over 1.5 million Afghan refugee Proof of Registration (PoR) cardholders. Children and youth constitute approximately 70 percent of the total refugee population. While Afghan refugees are dispersed across more than 70 countries, an overwhelming 95 percent continue to be hosted by two countries, namely Pakistan and Iran. Some 3.9 million Afghan refugees have returned to Afghanistan since 2002, including more than 58,000 in 2015.
