PESHAWAR, Saturday 8 September: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi commended the charitable work of the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital saying providing free-of-cost treatment to underprivileged cancer patients is a noble act.

Pakistan: Islamabad: A meeting of the Friends of the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees was convened by the Ambassador of Germany to Pakistan, His Excellency Mr. Bernhard Schlagheck, on 24 June 2020. The following issues were discussed: UNHCR Pakistan’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Global Refugee Forum, the Refugee Summit Islamabad, as well as the Support Platform for the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees and its forthcoming Portfolio of Projects.

Pakistan: Islamabad: As an active member of the COVID-19 Risk Communication and Community Engagement Task Force, the Office helped amplify government-approved messages on the prevention and response to the coronavirus among refugees.

Pakistan: Islamabad: Following the launch of the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR) Support Platform at the Global Refugee Forum in December 2019, and the subsequent Refugee Summit Islamabad held in Islamabad in February 2020, the High-Level Meeting on the SSAR Support Platform was organized on 6 July 2020. The virtual event was convened by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, together with high-level representatives from the Islamic Republics of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan.

Pakistan: Islamabad: In order to respond to the urgent needs of refugees in Pakistan, UNHCR is providing a four-month cash grant to the most vulnerable refugee families who are greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the programme, UNHCR is providing Rs.12,000 one-time cash assistance to the refugees across the country. Some 80,000 of the most vulnerable refugee families are being targeted for this support at this time. Over 75,000 refugee families have already received the cash assistance.

Pakistan: Islamabad: In the month of November, UNHCR Director for Regional Bureau of Asia and the Pacific, Mr. Indrika Ratwatte, visited Pakistan. Mr. Ratwatte, paid a courtesy call to Foreign Secretary, Mr. Sohail Mahmood, Special Representative for Afghanistan, Ambassador (R) Mohammad Sadiq, Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan, Mr. Najibullah Alikhil, Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions, Mr. Sahibzada Muhammad Mehboob Sultan during his visit. Mr. Ratwatte, met with the Country Director of the World Bank, Ambassador of Germany and Switzerland, and the representatives of various key donors.

Pakistan: Islamabad: In the months of November and December, UNHCR with the support of other UN agencies and partners arranged activities to mark the 16 Days of Activism campaign.

Pakistan: Islamabad: The UNHCR Representative in undertook her first field mission to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in early August 2020. During her visit, she inaugurated a multipurpose model community centre in Khazana refugee village near Peshawar. The community centre will be used for learning and community-building, benefitting Afghan refugees and Pakistani host communities. Together with the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Establishment, the UNHCR Representative also performed a ceremonial “breaking of the ground” to mark the start of the rehabilitation of a government primary school in Peshawar, as part of the Refugee Affected and Hosting Areas (RAHA) initiative.

Pakistan: Islamabad: The emergency cash programme for vulnerable refugee families during the COVID-19 pandemic continued to be rolled out across Pakistan, with the support of the Government of Pakistan and in collaboration with the Pakistan Post. Both urban areas and refugee villages were covered.

Pakistan: Islamabad: UNHCR dispatched core relief items in support of the Government of Pakistan’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The relief items include medical supplies and sanitation products such as sanitary clothes, soap and disinfectants.