Iran continues to set a global example through its progressive and inclusive refugee policies, but the country needs more support hosting one of the largest refugee populations in the world, said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi during a three-day visit.
Iran is home to almost one million registered refugees, the vast majority from Afghanistan. The High Commissioner recognized Iran’s generous policies, which are oriented towards the inclusion of refugees in national services and the economy, including through access to the national health insurance scheme, permission to work in a range of occupations and documentation. In a ground-breaking move, since 2015, all Afghan children, regardless of status, have also had access to primary and secondary education.
In Tehran, Grandi met government officials, including Foreign Minister Mohammad Javid Zarif, and Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli as well as the Director General of the Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants’ Affairs, Ahmad Mohammadifar, expressing UNHCR’s commitment to support Iran’s efforts in providing protection and seeking solutions for Afghan refugees while calling for greater international support. The High Commissioner’s visit to Iran is the first leg of a three-country tour – to Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan — to address the Afghan refugee situation.
While the volatile security situation in Afghanistan is currently not encouraging large-scale returns from Iran, some refugees are asking for support to find jobs or start businesses back home in Afghanistan.
“It’s a sign of people looking to their long-term future with hope,” Grandi said. “We must not forget that the solution lies in Afghanistan — and on the stability, security and prosperity of Afghanistan.”
The Afghan refugee situation is one of the largest and most protracted in the world, with many having been in the country for as long as 40 years — meaning many young refugees are third or even fourth generation, born and raised in Iran. Painfully aware of the ongoing insecurity in their homeland, they nevertheless still dream of one day returning to their roots.
The challenge, said Grandi, is to make sure Iran is supported and funded by the international community so it can continue on this path, adding “Iran has experienced 39 years of a refugee situation since it started receiving Afghans in 1979.”
Original source: UNHCR
Published on 4 September 2018
