UNHCR Hails Iran’s Assistance to Afghans Amid Virus

Date: 19 April 2020 - 21:22

News ID: ۷۷۶۲۱

TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Iran has hailed Tehran for hosting Afghan refugees for more than four decades, vowing to help the Islamic Republic protect Afghans amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
"As UNHCR, we want to first and foremost underscore and highlight that it has been commendable that Iran has been hosting refugees primarily from Afghanistan for more than 40 years now, which is an important feature and an important achievement, a commendable achievement,” Ivo Freijsen said Saturday.
The UN refugee agency in cooperation with its international partners will provide Iran with support to protect the Afghan refugees until they can voluntarily and safely go back to their "fully stable” homeland, he said.
"Iran has done very well over the years in making basic social services accessible for refugees,” Freijsen said.
The UN representative lauded a 2015 decree by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei allowing schooling for all Afghan children in Iran. The Leader ordered that all Afghan children in Iran be permitted schooling regardless of their residency status.
Iran spends $8 billion on Afghan migrants every year in various sectors.
In February, UN chief Antonio Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi praised Iran and Pakistan for hosting millions of Afghan refugees despite receiving minimal support from the international community.
Freijsen said UNHCR tries to maximize its support for Iran to protect refugees amid the current coronavirus outbreak. He said the UN Refugee Agency would definitely like to do more in this regard but its ability depended fully on the amount of money given by donors.