MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd July, 2020) Targeted investments are needed to help alleviate Afghanistan's population displacement crisis, particularly amid the economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representative Babar Baloch said Friday.
"UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is calling for targeted investments inside Afghanistan and in refugee-hosting Iran and Pakistan, warning that inaction could lead to further population flows, continued suffering and instability, and a deepening regional socio-economic crisis in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic," Baloch said in a press release.
According to the UNHCR, 2.7 million Afghan citizens have fled the country as refugees, and a further 2.6 million people are currently displaced internally.
The agency is committed to helping those who have fled their homes return, although returnee numbers in 2019 were "among the lowest recorded in years," Baloch added.
A high-level meeting featuring representatives from the UNHCR, Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan is expected to be held on Monday to discuss the ongoing Afghan displacement crisis, Baloch remarked.
Earlier this week, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad held a meeting alongside US International Development Finance Corporation CEO Adam Boehler and key Afghan figures including President Ashraf Ghani to discuss efforts to stimulate job creation in order to alleviate the ongoing socio-economic crisis in Afghanistan.
The UN has urged the Afghan government and the Taliban to commit to a long-lasting peace agreement that will protect civilian lives and allow for economic growth.
