UAE and Afghan officials discuss plight of refugees

Afghanistan is seeking the support of the UAE as it looks to repatriate its refugees from Pakistan, according to the national news agency WAM. The permanent representative of the emirates to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Obaid Salem Al Zaabi, recently met with the Afghan Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, Sayed Hussain Alemi Balkhi on the sidelines of a UN meeting. The discussions focused on a programme that will see four million Afghan refugees return home from Pakistan. The initiative includes giving them financial grants, housing and livelihoods. Zaabi expressed the emirates’ continuing support for the people of Afghanistan through a number of humanitarian and infrastructure projects, as well as developmental aid.