JAKARTA - The office of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) explained the reason for the slow process of resettling Afghan refugees to third countries so that they have been stranded for years in Jakarta.
Communication Associate UNHCR Indonesia Dwi Anisa Prafitria said the decision to accept refugees rests entirely with the recipient countries, not UNHCR. This happens to refugees all over the world, not only in Indonesia.
"Currently, there are around 20 million refugees worldwide under the mandate of UNHCR, but every year less than 1 percent of refugees worldwide are accepted by third countries and go to destination countries", Annisa said when contacted, Wednesday, August 25.
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Given the limited quota, the UNHCR prioritizes placement to third countries based on the vulnerability of refugees, following globally agreed vulnerability criteria.
"Third countries also have their own criteria that must be considered by the UNHCR", she said.
Annisa said that while waiting for placement in a third country, the refugees lived in refugee accommodation provided by the International Organization for Migration. There are also those who choose to live independently.
"During their stay in Indonesia, refugees can be involved in community activities, either carried out on their own initiative or also organized with our partners, such as carrying out activities related to education for children, vocational training, language classes, and so on", she said.
Annisa ensured that the UNHCR continues to make efforts to send refugees stranded in Indonesia to third countries. In the near future, the UNHCR also plans to hold a virtual meeting with refugees.
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