TEHRAN – The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, has appreciated Iran as “a global example” for its 40 years of supporting refugees.

“Refugees in Iran can access free primary health care, and the national health insurance scheme. Work rights have been progressively expanded over the years. Most of these commendable initiatives are funded from Iran’s own resources, despite escalating economic pressures impacting both the refugees and their hosts,” he explained.

He made the remarks during the International Conference on 40 Years of Hosting Afghan Refugees in Pakistan, which was held in Islamabad on Monday.

“Pakistan and Iran together continue to host 90 percent of registered Afghan refugees globally – some 2.4 million people.

In recent years, there have been commendable efforts towards identification and documentation of these populations, and enhancing access to passports and work permits. I encourage these efforts to continue and to be accelerated,” Grandi stated.

“And we should not forget that the Islamic Republic of Iran has also been a global example. Progressive education policies have driven up literacy rates and transformed the prospects of generations of Afghan refugees.

FB/MG