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 coord<strong>in</strong>ate <strong>in</strong>ternational 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 be<strong>in</strong>g of refugees. UNHCR strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and f<strong>in</strong>d safe refuge <strong>in</strong> another state, and to return home voluntarily. By assist<strong>in</strong>g refugees to return to their own country or to settle <strong>in</strong> 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 relat<strong>in</strong>g to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 protocol. International Refugee Law provides an essential framework of pr<strong>in</strong>cipals for UNHCR's humanitarian activities. UNHCR actively seeks to consolidate the re<strong>in</strong>tegration of return<strong>in</strong>g refugees to their country of orig<strong>in</strong>, thereby avert<strong>in</strong>g the recurrence of refugee-produc<strong>in</strong>g 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 op<strong>in</strong>ion 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 <strong>in</strong> partnership with government, <strong>in</strong>ternational and non-governmental organizations. UNHCR provides protection and assistance not only to refugees, but also to other categories of displaced or needy persons. These <strong>in</strong>clude asylum seekers, refugees who have returned home but still need help <strong>in</strong> rebuild<strong>in</strong>g their lives, local civilian communities which are directly affected by the movements of refugees and, perhaps most importantly grow<strong>in</strong>g numbers of <strong>in</strong>ternally displaced persons (IDPs). UNHCR has been work<strong>in</strong>g closely with the Government on capacity build<strong>in</strong>g through tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g of judges, lawyers and law enforcement bodies, provid<strong>in</strong>g technical assistance towards draft<strong>in</strong>g legal <strong>in</strong>struments meet<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>ternational 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 re<strong>in</strong>tegration program for Tajik returnees. Dur<strong>in</strong>g this period more than 53,000 Tajiks were repatriated from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. In order to raise the absorption capacity <strong>in</strong> area of return, rehabilitation of <strong>in</strong>frastructure was undertaken and follow<strong>in</strong>g work has been successfully completed: 25,000 destroyed houses, 9 schools and 11 health cl<strong>in</strong>ics reconstructed; 4 water supply system rehabilitated and 3, 048 hand pumps <strong>in</strong>stalled <strong>in</strong> Khatlon region. Besides UNHCR funded agriculture projects such as: reconstruction of 23 irrigation pumps, development of land lease (2,204 ha), canal dra<strong>in</strong>age clean<strong>in</strong>g (26,772 km), distribution of seeds and fertilizers, construction of 22 rice and flour mills, 1,585 livestock distributed, veter<strong>in</strong>arian service. In 2001, UNHCR established micro-credits projects for return<strong>in</strong>g 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 Understand<strong>in</strong>g with the United Nations Development Program (<strong>UNDP</strong>), for their transfer, effective 1 January 2007, to that United Nations agency. UNHCR has been work<strong>in</strong>g closely with the relevant authorities of <strong>Tajikistan</strong> and, <strong>in</strong> particular, with the State Agency on Social protection, Employment and Migration to br<strong>in</strong>g the national Refugee Status Determ<strong>in</strong>ation (RSD) procedure <strong>in</strong> l<strong>in</strong>e with <strong>in</strong>ternational standards. UNHCR has been provid<strong>in</strong>g assistance to tra<strong>in</strong> Government Officials and strengthen <strong>in</strong>stitutions deal<strong>in</strong>g with refugees. UNHCR has been facilitat<strong>in</strong>g the voluntary return of Afghan refugees to their country. S<strong>in</strong>ce 2002, some 10,000 Afghan refugees have returned to their country with UNHCR's assistance. The numbers are decreas<strong>in</strong>g, however, as witnessed by the fact that <strong>in</strong> 2004 there were only 66 returns, 25 <strong>in</strong> 2005, 52 <strong>in</strong> 2006 and 27 <strong>in</strong> 2007. In 2004, UNHCR and Canada agreed to implement a resettlement program for refugees <strong>in</strong> <strong>Tajikistan</strong>. A similar agreement was reached with the United States and a program started <strong>in</strong> 2005. Both programs came to an end <strong>in</strong> late 2006. Under these resettlement programmes, over 1,300 refugess, ma<strong>in</strong>ly Afghans, were resettled to Canada and USA. The current UNHCR objective is to build asylum regime <strong>in</strong> the country, f<strong>in</strong>d durable solutions to long-stay<strong>in</strong>g Afghan refugee <strong>in</strong> the country, cont<strong>in</strong>ue to provide legal assistance to asylum seekers and refugees and material assistance to the neediest refugees. Future Programm<strong>in</strong>g Direction In 2008, UNHCR will pursue the follow<strong>in</strong>g ma<strong>in</strong> objectives. First will provide technical and legal advice and assist Government and <strong>in</strong>stitutions deal<strong>in</strong>g with refugees and asylum seekers to fulfil the obligations under 1951 Convention relat<strong>in</strong>g to the status of refugees and its 1967 Protocol, to ensure that the laws of the Republic of <strong>Tajikistan</strong> are consistent with <strong>in</strong>ternational legislation and practice. Second, UNHCR will cont<strong>in</strong>ue to seek durable solutions for Afghan refugees. In this respect, the voluntary repatriation <strong>in</strong> <strong>Tajikistan</strong> will cont<strong>in</strong>ue as <strong>in</strong> previous years. Resettlement will be pursued for vulnerable and deserv<strong>in</strong>g cases on an <strong>in</strong>dividual basis. Resettlement to third countries will be carried out on an <strong>in</strong>dividual basis as a protection tool and for cases of family reunification. Third, seek and implement solutions for rema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g long-stay<strong>in</strong>g Afghan refugees, namely those who cannot or do not want to return to their country of orig<strong>in</strong> and do not meet resettlement criteria. F<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g local solutions for rema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g Afghan refugees <strong>in</strong> <strong>Tajikistan</strong> has been discussed Source: Aid Coord<strong>in</strong>ation and Project Monitor<strong>in</strong>g System Database © State Committee on Investments and State Property Management of the RT 112
DEVELOPMENT PARTNER PROFILE with the Government s<strong>in</strong>ce October 2005. For rema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g Afghan refugees <strong>in</strong> <strong>Tajikistan</strong>, the local solution may take the form of permanent residence or Tajik nationality for those meet<strong>in</strong>g the criteria established by the law on nationality. UNHCR will cont<strong>in</strong>ue to protect and assist Afghan refugees by provid<strong>in</strong>g legal assistance, cover the costs for medical expenses and limited assistance to real vulnerable families. The vocational skills tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g and <strong>in</strong>come generation related programme will also cont<strong>in</strong>ue. Source: Aid Coord<strong>in</strong>ation and Project Monitor<strong>in</strong>g System Database © State Committee on Investments and State Property Management of the RT 113
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