UNHCR and UNESCO have joined hand on a two-year agreement for streamlining education for Afghans in Pakistan, says a statement. Under the agreement signed at UNHCR's Pakistan Headquarters in Islamabad both will work closely for the promotion of education of Afghans in Pakistan. They will further strengthen their working relationship with other UN and donor agencies to attract funds and support for their joint programmes. The agreement facilitates cooperation between the two agencies to help repatriating Afghan children to integrate into Afghan educational system. The signing parties agreed to do this through sharing of technical advice and mutual assistance to the identification of interlocutors with in the government, the NGO community and through consultations with the Afghan Government. In Pakistan, it aims at developing a strategy to streamline temporary staying of Afghan children's education services. “The agreement will help realise the Millennium Development Goal of education being a right to every child among the Afghan community living in Pakistan,” Guenet Guebre-Christos, representative of UNHCR in Pakistan said. “Afghan children going to schools in Pakistan and those continuing their education inside Afghanistan, after their voluntary repatriation, are the main beneficiaries of this deal,” he added. UNHCR is currently supporting primary education for Afghans in refugee camps across Pakistan under its global mandate. The agreement allows UNHCR and UNESCO to continue efforts in the field of basic education for Afghan children and related teacher support, training and capacity building as well as adult literacy and non-formal training opportunities. “Education is a crucial tool for protecting the future of refugee children and gives them and their parents hope for the future and through this MoU, UNESCO and UNHCR have joined forces in this endeavour,” said Jorge Sequeira, representative of UNESCO. “This agreement is a strategic step forward in line with UN's integrated approach towards addressing issues, including those related to Afghan refugees,” he said.
