UNHCR to Host the 13th Tripartite Commission Meeting in Dubai 06.06.2007 KABUL, June 6 - Bilal Basharat This Friday (June 8), representatives of the Governments of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) will meet in Dubai for a regular review of policies and operations affecting Afghans in Pakistan . The Afghan Minister for Refugees and Repatriation, Mohammad Akbar Akbar, is leading the Afghan delegation. The Pakistani delegation will be led by Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind, Minister for States and Frontier Regions while the UNHCR team will be headed by Ms.Guenet Guebre-Christos and Mr. Salvatore Lombardo, the agency’s Representatives in Pakistan and Afghanistan respectively. According to a statement released by ( UNHCR ) here on Wednesday, The three parties are expected to continue discussion on the renewal of the Tripartite Agreement for three more years. The agreement will reaffirm their commitment to the voluntary and gradual nature of returns as well as to intensify efforts for sustainable reintegration, added in the statement . Also on the agenda is lessons learnt from the recent registration of Afghans in Pakistan. Other issues to be discussed include voluntary repatriation trends and the recently-introduced modalities. Camp consolidation and closure in Pakistan will also be discussed, along with the options of voluntary return with UNHCR assistance and relocation to an existing camp in Pakistan. In addition, both governments are planning to discuss their three-year plans on Afghan refugees and returnees. There are more than 2.15 million registered Afghans currently living in Pakistan. The majority are women, children and old people who have lived in Pakistan for more than two decades. This week’s Dubai meeting will be the 13th meeting of the Tripartite Commission since the original Tripartite Agreement was signed in March 2003. Members of the Tripartite Commission meet every three months. Since 2002, more than 3 million Afghans have returned home under UNHCR’s assisted repatriation programme from Pakistan, including over 220,000 so far this year. By Bilal Basharat, AfghanMania correspondent in Kabul << | >> |
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