Jordan Princess, UN envoy in Rwanda on refugee issues
Her Royal Highness the Princess of Jordan Sarah Zeid and the UN Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees, Volker Turk are in Rwanda for a five-day visit. PHOTO|FIL
What you need to know:
- During the visit that runs from October 23-27, they will hold high level bilateral consultations with Rwanda government officials on refugee matters, visit two refugee camps, and interact with the diplomatic community, heads of UN agencies and NGOs, according to a statement from the UN refugee agency.
Kigali. Her Royal Highness the Princess of Jordan Sarah Zeid and the UN Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees, Volker Turk are in Rwanda for a five-day visit to discuss refugee issues.
During the visit that runs from October 23-27, they will hold high level bilateral consultations with Rwanda government officials on refugee matters, visit two refugee camps, and interact with the diplomatic community, heads of UN agencies and NGOs, according to a statement from the UN refugee agency.
The purpose of the visit is to discuss strategic plans for management of the asylum regime in Rwanda, with the aim of enhancing the partnership between the UN Refugee Agency and Government of Rwanda, which co-lead the refugee response in the country.
Speaking to reporters at Kigali genocide memorial Monday, Princess Zeid deplored what happened in Rwanda, saying “I have to confess that I’m left without word. I think this memorial is an extraordinary testimony to Rwanda.” She urged the world where there is still too much violence and brutality to take lessons from Rwanda.
On television and over our computers, people can still see terrible atrocities that are being carried out in the world, said Princess Zeid.
“When we say never again we actually have to mean it and do something about it. The greatest honor that we can pay to the victims of such terrible times is by making sure that it never happens again,” she said.
The duo is scheduled to visit more than 50,000 Burundian refugees at Mahama camp on Tuesday, in eastern Rwanda.
They are expected attend the consultative meetings on Wednesday, at Kigali Convention Centre, and then depart to Bujumbura on Thursday.
The UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner, Volker Turk said their visit to the camps would familiarize them with the situation as countries seek ways and means to improve on response. “We work closely with the government and partners. It is to work and see what more we can do. We have looked a lot at funding solutions for refugees, so we want to also see a little bit more what we can do about that,” he said. (Xinhua)
