The European Union commits €1,050,000 to support UNICEF’s work for Afghan Refugee Children in the Islamic Republic of Iran
TEHRAN, Iran, 31 May 2017 – A €1,050,000 contribution from the European Commission's Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) has been allocated to support UNICEF’s work for Afghan Refugee Children in the Islamic Republic of Iran in partnership with the government.
“The European Commission is committed to supporting children, who constitute over 35 per cent of the Afghan refugee population in Iran. Our cooperation with UNICEF is therefore crucial investing in access to adequate health care and education in the early years of childhood is a lifelong investment,” said Christos Stylianides, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management.
The funding will support UNICEF’s ongoing joint programme with the government on improving access to basic social services for Afghan refugee children and adolescents in the country. The main component of this EU-funded programme is to improve access to education for Afghan refugee children and help them integrate into formal schools as part of a partnership between UNICEF Iran Office and the Ministry of Education. According to the landmark decree of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in 2015, all children, regardless of their legal status, should have access to education and enrolled in schools. This has created an incredible opportunity to integrate undocumented Afghan children into formal schools and give as many children as possible the opportunity to access basic education.
”Over the past couple of years, UNICEF has been working with the Ministry of Interior’s Bureau of Aliens and Foreign Immigrants Affairs (BAFIA) and the Iranian Civil Society to help provide undocumented Afghan children with education, health and protection services.” said Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa. ”With this generous funding from ECHO, UNICEF with partners will be able to further boost support to improve the delivery of services, education in particular, to Afghan refugee children,”.
The two other components of this fund support promotion of healthy lifestyles among Afghan refugee adolescents and improving the quality of vocational training for Afghan children in judicial proceedings in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Medical Education and the Judiciary respectively.
For over three decades, the Islamic Republic of Iran has hosted one of the largest protracted refugee populations in the world. According to national statistics provided by BAFIA, currently over 900,000 documented and an estimated 2 million undocumented Afghan refugees live in Iran.
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For more information, please contact:
Bahareh Yeganehfar, UNICEF Iran, [email protected] , +98-21-22594994
Rebekka Opfermann, UNICEF Brussels, [email protected] , +32 492 933 743
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About UNICEF
UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.
For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit www.unicef.org.
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About European Commission's Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO)
The European Union and its Member States are the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity towards people in need all around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and man-made crises. The European Commission ensures rapid and effective delivery of EU relief assistance through its two main instruments: humanitarian aid and civil protection. The Commission, through its Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), helps over 120 million victims of conflict and disasters every year. With headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, ECHO provides assistance to the most vulnerable people solely on the basis of humanitarian needs. For more information, please visit http://ec.europa.eu/echo/index_en
