SHARP celebrated World Refugee Day at Dream Land Motel
Islamabad:
Pakistan has extended tremendous support to the Afghan refugees
during past three decades despite not signing the convention
on the status of the Refugees, theses remarks were made by
the worthy speakers in a seminar on the plight of refugees
and IDPs held on Saturday June 20th 2009 at Dream Land Motel
Islamabad arranged by Society for Human Rights and Prisoners’
Aid (SHARP). June 20th is to commemorate the World Refugee
Day. This year the theme for the year 2009 is “real
people, real need” and the speakers emphasized on the
real needs of the displace persons. The speakers also paid
tributes to the martyrs of the cause and to all those who
have been displace due to this conflict. The speakers included
Ambassadors of Afghanistan and Belgium.
As the Ambassador of Afghanistan Mr. Gulab Majnoon notes
in his World Refugee Day message, this is a time of enormous
global uncertainty, especially so for tens of millions of
refugees and displaced people uprooted by conflict and persecution.
They have lost not only their livelihoods and their homes,
but their loved ones, their friends, their communities and
their countries.
It is known that more than 42 million refugees and internally
displaced people worldwide at the end of 2008. The number
has grown significantly since the beginning of this year.
In places such as Pakistan, more than 2.4 Million IDPs have
been displaced. Although this is a huge number, each and
every one of them has a very human story to tell, quoted
Mr. Qaiser Siddiqui, Director Operations, SHARP.
Mr. Liaqat Banori, Chairman SHARP, said that Refugees are
not faceless statistics; they are real people just like
us who through no fault of their own have lost everything.
And those who work with refugees are struggling more than
ever to meet even their most basic needs. Thus the theme
of this year's World Refugee Day is "Real People, Real
Needs."
The World Refugee Day is a good time to remember the 42
million uprooted people around the world who are still waiting
to go home. As Ms. Yoko Akasaska, Senior Protection Officer
UNHCR says, they are among the most vulnerable people on
Earth and helping them must be a priority. UNHCR offices
worldwide have prepared a wide range of activities for World
Refugee Day, and we are glad to note that the same is being
celebrated in Pakistan as well. She also appreciated the
efforts of SHARP and its approach toward the Refugees and
IDPs.
World Refugee Day is an opportunity for us to reach out
to refugees, to be open minded and welcoming, to listen
to their stories in particular the dangers from which many
have fled, to recognise in humanity and celebrate the values
they bring to our communities, said Mr. Hans Christian Kint,
Ambassador of Belgium to Pakistan.
Representatives of Afghan and Somali children also performed
their national anthems and cultural shows and appealed to
the international community, media, Government and Civil
society to respect their rights and dignity as being human
beings.
