On Monday, 16 September, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Olivier Nduhungirehe received Ndèye Aissatou Masseck Ndiaye, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Representative in Rwanda for a courtesy call.
“They discussed the ongoing partnership and the need to further strengthen the existing cooperation between Rwanda and the UN Refugee Agency,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Rwanda is currently hosting over 135,000 refugees and asylum seekers, with 90 percent of them living across five refugee camps: Kiziba, Nyabiheke, Kigeme, Mugombwa, and Mahama.
Additionally, UNHCR supports the evacuation of vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers from Libya through the Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM) located in Gashora.
In 2019, the Government of Rwanda, in collaboration with the African Union, UNHCR, and other partners, set up a program to help migrants who had been living in various camps in Libya while waiting to reach Europe.
So far, over 2,300 refugees have been received in 18 groups, with 68% of them resettled in third countries.
UNHCR’s work in Rwanda focuses on four main pillars: Ensuring access for refugees, asylum seekers, and stateless populations in Rwanda to a favorable protection environment; Helping refugees, asylum seekers, and stateless populations in Rwanda enjoy better living conditions; Supporting refugees and asylum seekers in Rwanda to access livelihoods and economic opportunities; and Finding durable solutions for refugee populations.
Minister Nduhungirehe, UNHCR representative discuss further strengthening cooperation
