UNHCR opens office in Kazakh capital

Published: 17 April 2004 y., Saturday
Wednesday's opening ceremony was attended by a number of senior Kazakh government officials, including Talgat Unaibayev, Head of the International Organisations Unit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Askar Nurymbetov, Head of the Interior Ministry's Department of International Cooperation; and Tungatar Baisagizov, Deputy Chief of the Migration Police's office for combating illegal immigration. Meiram Zholtayevich Baigazin, Head of the Department on Refugees in the Agency for Migration and Demography, heralded the opening of UNHCR's newest office worldwide in a speech to the gathered diplomats, government and UN officials. Officiating at the event, UNHCR's chief of mission in Kazakhstan, Yasuku Hanyu, said, "Since establishing our first presence in the country in 1996, UNHCR has worked with Kazakhstan's government to establish a functioning asylum system. Thanks to the opening of our office in the capital, we will be able to further strengthen our cooperation with the government of Kazakhstan on refugee and migration issues." The new UNHCR office in Astana will complement an existing one in the old capital, Almaty. The UN refugee agency currently assists some 16,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Kazakhstan, mainly Russians, Afghans and Tajiks.
Šaltinis: uzbekistan.com
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.

Facebook Comments

New comment


Captcha

Associated articles

The most popular articles

European Protection Order for victims under spotlight by MEPs

Ensuring that women are protected from physical, sexual or psychological abuse if they flee abroad is what lies behind the proposed European Protection Order. more »

Agatha storm lefts thousands homeless

Remnants of Tropical Storm Agatha dumped more rain across Central America, killing at least 73 people in the region, and forcing scores of others to flee their homes. more »

A pained recalling of foot-binding

Ninety-three-year old Lim Guan Siew looks back, with regret, on her experience of the long-dispelled Chinese custom of foot-binding. more »

World No Tobacco Day 2010: the Commission reaffirms its commitment to fight against smoking

Ahead of the 2010 No Tobacco Day (Monday 31st May), the European Commission unveils the results of a Eurobarometer survey which shows that a strong majority of EU citizens support stronger tobacco control measures. more »

Man swims at base of Mount Everest

Enviromentalist and endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh puts his body to the test in thin air and cold water to highlight shrinking glaciers in high mountain ranges. more »

Brazil's Dog Favela

It’s a dog’s life for the 1,500 unwanted strays who spend their days in a slum-like shelters in Brazil’s southern city of Caxias do Sul. more »

Human rights: Thailand, Burma and Pakistan

Three resolutions on the situation in Thailand, the pre-election climate in Burma and religious freedom in Pakistan were adopted by the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Thursday. more »

Chinese schools teach self-defense

Growing numbers of children enroll in kung-fu schools to learn self-defense techniques after a series of school attacks in recent weeks spark wide-spread concern in China. more »

Israeli army: gays "not an issue"

Homosexuality in the military can be a thorny issue around the world, with gay and lesbian soldiers often hiding their sexual preference out of fear. more »

EU seeks rapid ratification of UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

European Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding will urge EU Member States to swiftly ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities during a May 19 Ministers’ meeting in Zaragoza, Spain. more »