Eng - UNDP in Tajikistan

DEVELOPMENT PARTNER PROFILE
Multilateral
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Contact: Mr. Iliya Todorovich
UNHCR Representative
Tel: 221-83-78, 221-82-46, 221-74-24 Fax: 251-00-39
E-mail: TJKDU@UNHCR.ORG
Website:
Organization Profile
The United Nations mandates UNHCR, the United Nations refugee organization, to lead and coordinate international action for the world
wide protection of refugees and the resolution of refugee problems. UNHCR's primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well being of
refugees. UNHCR strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another state, and to return
home voluntarily. By assisting refugees to return to their own country or to settle in another country, UNHCR also seeks durable solution to
their plight. UNHCR's efforts are mandated by the organization's Statute and guided by the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of
Refugees and its 1967 protocol. International Refugee Law provides an essential framework of principals for UNHCR's humanitarian
activities. UNHCR actively seeks to consolidate the reintegration of returning refugees to their country of origin, thereby averting the
recurrence of refugee-producing situations. UNHCR offers protection and assistance to refugees and other persons of concern to UNHCR, on
the basis of their need and irrespective of their race, religion, political opinion or gender. UNHCR pays particular attention to the need of
children and seeks to promote the equal rights of women and girls. In its efforts to protect refugees and promote solution to their problems,
UNHCR works in partnership with government, international and non-governmental organizations. UNHCR provides protection and
assistance not only to refugees, but also to other categories of displaced or needy persons. These include asylum seekers, refugees who have
returned home but still need help in rebuilding their lives, local civilian communities which are directly affected by the movements of
refugees and, perhaps most importantly growing numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs). UNHCR has been working closely with the
Government on capacity building through training of judges, lawyers and law enforcement bodies, providing technical assistance towards
drafting legal instruments meeting international standards. In addition to their legal vulnerability, refugees are highly dependent on UNHCR
material assistance. UNHCR protection and material assistance serves as a mean of survival for many of them.
Past and Current Programmes
In 1993 UNHCR started the repatriation, rehabilitation, reconstruction and reintegration program for Tajik returnees. During this period more
than 53,000 Tajiks were repatriated from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. In order to raise the
absorption capacity in area of return, rehabilitation of infrastructure was undertaken and following work has been successfully completed:
25,000 destroyed houses, 9 schools and 11 health clinics reconstructed; 4 water supply system rehabilitated and 3, 048 hand pumps installed
in Khatlon region. Besides UNHCR funded agriculture projects such as: reconstruction of 23 irrigation pumps, development of land lease
(2,204 ha), canal drainage cleaning (26,772 km), distribution of seeds and fertilizers, construction of 22 rice and flour mills, 1,585 livestock
distributed, veterinarian service.
In 2001, UNHCR established micro-credits projects for returning Tajiks. These projects also benefited other member of the community,
namely, those Tajiks that did not flee their country because of the conflict. The projects have been very successful with a 99% reimbursement
rate. In 2006, UNHCR decided that it was time to place them under a development strategy and, on 20 December 2006, signed a
Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), for their transfer, effective 1 January 2007, to that
United Nations agency.
UNHCR has been working closely with the relevant authorities of Tajikistan and, in particular, with the State Agency on Social protection,
Employment and Migration to bring the national Refugee Status Determination (RSD) procedure in line with international standards. UNHCR
has been providing assistance to train Government Officials and strengthen institutions dealing with refugees.
UNHCR has been facilitating the voluntary return of Afghan refugees to their country. Since 2002, some 10,000 Afghan refugees have
returned to their country with UNHCR's assistance. The numbers are decreasing, however, as witnessed by the fact that in 2004 there were
only 66 returns, 25 in 2005, 52 in 2006 and 27 in 2007.
In 2004, UNHCR and Canada agreed to implement a resettlement program for refugees in Tajikistan. A similar agreement was reached with
the United States and a program started in 2005. Both programs came to an end in late 2006. Under these resettlement programmes, over
1,300 refugess, mainly Afghans, were resettled to Canada and USA.
The current UNHCR objective is to build asylum regime in the country, find durable solutions to long-staying Afghan refugee in the country,
continue to provide legal assistance to asylum seekers and refugees and material assistance to the neediest refugees.
Future Programming Direction
In 2008, UNHCR will pursue the following main objectives. First will provide technical and legal advice and assist Government and
institutions dealing with refugees and asylum seekers to fulfil the obligations under 1951 Convention relating to the status of refugees and its
1967 Protocol, to ensure that the laws of the Republic of Tajikistan are consistent with international legislation and practice.
Second, UNHCR will continue to seek durable solutions for Afghan refugees. In this respect, the voluntary repatriation in Tajikistan will
continue as in previous years. Resettlement will be pursued for vulnerable and deserving cases on an individual basis. Resettlement to third
countries will be carried out on an individual basis as a protection tool and for cases of family reunification.
Third, seek and implement solutions for remaining long-staying Afghan refugees, namely those who cannot or do not want to return to their
country of origin and do not meet resettlement criteria. Finding local solutions for remaining Afghan refugees in Tajikistan has been discussed
Source: Aid Coordination and Project Monitoring System Database
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