DUSHANBE, May 20, 2015, Asia-Plus – On Wednesday May 20, Tajik Deputy Foreign Minister, Nizomiddin Zohidi, received Mr. Kevin Allen, UNHCR Representative in Tajikistan.
According to the Tajik MFA information department, they exchanged views on activities of UNHCR Country Office in Tajikistan on providing assistance to refugees and asylum-seekers in the country.
UNHCR opened an office in Tajikistan in 1993, when the country was torn by civil war two years after the country declared its independence from the Soviet Union. That year, Tajikistan became the first country in Central Asia to accede to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. It was also the first country in the region to adopt national refugee legislation. UNHCR has helped people displaced by the civil war to return home as well as assisting refugees.
In Tajikistan, UNHCR is working closely with the Government and other partners to identify and achieve solutions for stateless people. UNHCR is also supporting the strengthening of national asylum systems, while ensuring sufficient capacity to address any gaps in mandate RSD (refugee status determination).
