Chair of UNHCR Executive Committee visits Afghanistan
to show solidarity and continued international commitment

KABUL: The Chair of the Executive Committee of UNHCR (Excom), Ambassador Pedro Comissário Afonso of Mozambique, lauded recent steps by the National Unity Government to find durable solutions for the 2.4 million Afghan refugees remaining in neighbouring host countries. "I came to Afghanistan to show solidarity with the Government and people of Afghanistan and to reassure them that the international community remains committed to and invested in their future," said Ambassador Comissário, adding that UNHCR was dedicating a special High-Level Segment to the Afghan refugee situation in conjunction with this year's annual Executive Committee in Geneva in October. This event, he said, aims to refocus international attention on the Afghan refugees and their protection and solutions in the region.

In Kabul the Excom Chair met with President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani, and Minister for Refugees and Repatriation Sayed Alemi Hossein Balkhi, among others.

UNHCR's Representative in Afghanistan, Maya Ameratunga, welcomed the visit of UNHCR's Executive Committee chairman, noting that "Ambassador Comissário comes from a country, Mozambique, which produced one of Africa's largest refugee populations in the 1980s as well as one of UNHCR's most successful voluntary repatriation and reintegration efforts in the 1990s. His unique experience provides insight in how to address a protracted refugee situation."

Media contact

• Muhammad Nader Farhad in Kabul +93 791990018
• [email protected]