South Korea’s $2.5 million aid for programs supporting Afghan refugees in Iran has been hailed by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and UNICEF.
Iranian media reports said that South Korea’s Ambassador to Iran Yun Kahghyeon on Tuesday signed an agreement of cooperation with the two UN agencies in the presence of the UN Resident Coordinator in Iran, Stefan Priesner.
Kahghyeon, according to the reports, said his country will remain a staunch supporter of the UN and Iran in the spirit of burden-sharing.
He said with the latest donation, South Korea’s contribution for the last seven years to address the Afghan refugee issue in Iran marks totaled $30 million.
“I sincerely hope that today’s donation contributes to coping with the crisis and ameliorate the living standards of the newly arriving Afghans and the local people,” he added.
Priesner said UN agencies cooperate to support Iran in the best way possible and they were grateful that South Korea was increasing the partnership with UN to finding solutions to the crisis, not only in Iran but the entire region.
UNHCR and UNICEF will work together to cope with the large number of Afghan asylum-seekers fleeing to Iran, including improving access to clean water, construction and maintenance of latrines, showers, and laundry facilities for some 7,000 people in two new refugee settlements that are being constructed by UN agencies and partners in border areas, the media reports said.
It is estimated that up to 300,000 Afghan asylum-seekers have fled to Iran this year alone in search of safety, while UNHCR has only been able to screen some 25,500 newly arrived Afghans for protection needs.
The reports said that Iran already hosts an estimated 3.5 million Afghans and for over 40 years have provided them with access to health, education, and livelihoods opportunities.