Neighbouring Countries “Must Keep Borders Open” For Afghanistan: UNHCR
This year has already seen the highest surge of refugees worldwide in recorded history, and the Afghanistan crisis is expected to add more. There have been 3.5 million internal displacements due to the conflict so far, of which 5,50,000 have occurred since January 2021 itself, according to the UN.
After yesterday’s protest by Afghans outside the UNHCR office in Delhi seeking permanent residency in India, the UN agency’s spokesperson said that “At this stage, our primary concern is that Afghans who are seeking safety can reach it, including across borders and into neighbouring countries if needed. UNHCR is calling on countries neighbouring Afghanistan to keep their borders open in light of the intensifying crisis in Afghanistan”.
This year has already seen the highest surge of refugees worldwide in recorded history, and the Afghanistan crisis is expected to add more. There have been 3.5 million internal displacements due to the conflict so far, of which 5,50,000 have occurred since January 2021 itself, according to the UN.
Noting the evacuation efforts of other countries, which also helped Afghans leave their embattled home, Catherine Stubberfield, the UNHCR’s regional spokesperson of the Asia-Pacific region, said that further efforts to granting asylum to the vast majority of others is the need:
"While UNHCR welcomes the expressions of solidarity made by several countries to either evacuate or resettle Afghans in need of protection, these efforts are unfortunately only able to benefit a tiny proportion of the millions of Afghans already displaced and in need across the country"
The United Nations Human Rights Council is scheduled to hold a meeting on the “serious human rights violations” committed by the Taliban. Canadian PM Justin Trudeau has also left open the scope for imposing sanctions, reiterating that the Taliban was a terror group, amid worldwide uncertainty on the status of the new Afghanistan regime.
This year has already seen the highest surge of refugees worldwide in recorded history, and the Afghanistan crisis is expected to add more. There have been 3.5 million internal displacements due to the conflict so far, of which 5,50,000 have occurred since January 2021 itself, according to the UN.
Noting the evacuation efforts of other countries, which also helped Afghans leave their embattled home, Catherine Stubberfield, the UNHCR’s regional spokesperson of the Asia-Pacific region, said that further efforts to granting asylum to the vast majority of others is the need:
"While UNHCR welcomes the expressions of solidarity made by several countries to either evacuate or resettle Afghans in need of protection, these efforts are unfortunately only able to benefit a tiny proportion of the millions of Afghans already displaced and in need across the country"
The United Nations Human Rights Council is scheduled to hold a meeting on the “serious human rights violations” committed by the Taliban. Canadian PM Justin Trudeau has also left open the scope for imposing sanctions, reiterating that the Taliban was a terror group, amid worldwide uncertainty on the status of the new Afghanistan regime.
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