KABUL: A UN official will meet with Taliban-led government figures to discuss measures to end the Afghan refugee problem and pave the road for their return.
Kelly T. Clements, Deputy High Commissioner of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), tweeted upon her arrival in Kabul on Sunday: "With millions of Afghans displaced, the humanitarian needs in Afghanistan are enormous. I'm in the country to promote support, particularly for those coming home, as well as the importance of upholding their rights, particularly those of women and children, and their ability to participate in public life."
"We will be talking with the interim authorities over the next days about how we can support the needs of the Afghan people and how we can find solutions for those who are outside the country who want to come home and rebuild their lives in peace and have an Afghanistan that is inclusive of all," she said in a separate statement. A UN official stated that Afghanistan has been forgotten.
"Our is a critical time for this country and its people," she noted, "because the world's focus has shifted to other cases of displacement, other wars, and other crises." Afghan refugees, after Syrian refugees and displaced Venezuelans, are the world's third-largest displaced population, according to the UNHCR.
There are 2.6 million Afghan refugees registered worldwide, with 2.2 million of them in Iran and Pakistan alone. 667,900 Afghans were internally displaced after the Taliban took charge in August last year, adding to the 3.5 million internally displaced civilians by the end of 2020.
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