UNHCR continues to provide services in Kurdistan
A Refugee woman is recording her biometric data at the newly opened registration center. Photo: UNHCR
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in cooperation with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Ministry of Interior, with generous financial support from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, opened a new registration center in the capital of Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Erbil, according to a statement issued by the UNHCR.
The new center will function as a one-stop shop for registration and protection services, allowing UNHCR to obtain biodata to provide its certificates and support refugees according to their specific needs, the statement explained.
At the center, refugees can access an information desk to learn about humanitarian and public services and legal assistance. Women and children survivors of violence also have access to specialized psychosocial services, the statement revealed.
In addition to UNHCR staff and its protection partners, the registration center will also house governmental entities, namely General Assayish and the Erbil Directorate of Residency, the statement clarified.
As a result, refugees will immediately be able to secure their humanitarian residency permits, which are the documents provided by the authorities to asylum-seekers and refugees to regularize their stay in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and to access public services, the statement elaborated.
It is expected that 24,000 refugees a month will benefit from all these services, according to the statement.
The newly established building will function as a registration center for refugees and other protection activities. It will eventually serve as a secondary school for the neighborhood. Education is a priority for the Kuwait government, UNHCR and the Kurdish government to support education for the most vulnerable, the statement added.