DUSHANBE, September 30, 2011, Asia-Plus — On Thursday September 29, a roundtable discussion on the rights of refugees and asylum seekers in Tajikistan took place in Dushanbe.
Sponsored by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), the meeting was part of DRC’s ongoing efforts to support refugees and asylum seekers in Tajikistan.
Officials from the Government of Tajikistan, members local NGO’s, and representatives of the Afghan refugee community participated in the roundtable, which was hosted at the Tajik Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ press center in Dushanbe, and organized in cooperation with the local NGO Human Rights Center (HRC).
“We are hopeful that this roundtable will provide a space for representatives of the Government, civil society and the refugee population itself to discuss ways that Tajik legislation can be brought into full conformity with the international commitments, which Tajikistan has accepted,” said Rexane Rasmussen, DRC Regional Representative in Central Asia. “The open discussion and exchange of ideas will help us all to safeguard the rights of refugees and asylum seekers in Tajikistan”, she added.
The roundtable featured presentations by speakers from both government and civil society. The initial presentations were followed by a spirited discussion among practitioners in the field on how to promote the rights of refugees and asylum seekers in Tajikistan. All participants agreed that Tajik refugee and asylum legislation incorporated many key principles of the 1951 Refugee Convention, but that a number of its provisions are not presently consistent with international best practices. The participants also discussed the problem of limitations to the freedom of residence for refugees, the need to simplify procedures for their annual re-registration, the need for the provision of international travel documents to refugees and the necessity of constructing a temporary accommodation center for refugees.
Manouchehr Mahmoudov, First Secretary of the Legal Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, suggested the establishment of a regular framework for discussing refugees issues and refugee legislation between government officials and other stakeholders. Mahmoudov added, “The Tajik Government is prepared to implement its obligations under the 1951 Convention to provide refugees with travel documents; however, we need financial and technical assistance from the international community.”
Government speakers at the roundtable included representatives from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. NGO speakers came from the NGO Prosperity and Society in Dushanbe and the Consortium Initiative in Khujand. The roundtable was funded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Tajikistan was the first Central Asia country to ratify the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees in December 1993. DRC supports the Government of Tajikistan’s effort at meeting its commitments to refugees in an unstable region of the world.
