The United National High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) predicts a surge in refugees from Afghanistan that could flow into neighboring Central and South Asia nations. Violence following the withdrawal of coalition troops from Afghanistan has created hundreds of thousands of newly displaced Afghans. Afghanistan’s regional neighbors would be among the hardest hit by instability in the country. Already, Pakistan hosts more than a million Afghan refugees, a number that could grow as frightened Afghans approach the border regions. Displaced civilians, including an increasing number of women and children, have described their travails to the UNHCR and other agencies that…
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UNIPATH STAFF The Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan announced that it launched the first National Simulation Exercise on Combating Human Trafficking in cooperation with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Bishkek. The four-day simulation took place in Kyrgyzstan’s Issyk-Kul province. Deputy Chairperson of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Zhyldyz Bakashova and Head of the OSCE Program Office in Kyrgyzstan Alexey Rogov initiated the training program. Kyrgyz officials recognize the importance of this event to better locate and help victims of human trafficking through a new approach. “We understand that the fight against this type of…
To enhance professionalism in providing assistance and relief during natural disasters and armed conflicts, the Bahraini Ministry of Interior hosted a two-day Humanitarian Operations Workshop in May 2021. Drawing more than 40 military and civilian leaders from Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, the workshop was facilitated by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) and the U.S. Agency for International Development and patronized by Bahraini Maj. Gen. Abdullah Muhammad Al Zayed, deputy chief of public security in the Interior Ministry. The agenda included topics aimed at honing participants’ skills and knowledge for responding to humanitarian disasters:…
Thousands of Yemeni college students will benefit from the generosity of Saudi Arabia, which is providing $46 million in financial aid for Yemenis pursuing higher education abroad. The Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen agreed to pay over $2 million in tuition for 796 students during 2020 and 2021. Another $11 million was allocated to cover tuition and fees for 6,136 students during the 2020 academic year. The scholarship program was enshrined in an agreement signed in June 2021 by Yemen’s Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khaled Al-Wasabi, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Waed Bathib and…
UNIPATH STAFF Six years of ongoing conflict between the legitimate Yemeni government and the Houthi militia have, among other things, deprived more than 2 million children of education, according to a UNICEF report. In 2015, about 890,000 children were out of school, less than half the current amount. The significant increase reflects the accelerating deterioration of the situation in Yemen, pressing the international community to find a solution to end one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Many fear those children will never return to school, hampering Yemen’s development and prospects for recovery. Even those remaining in school did not…
A delegation from the Emirati Ministry of Defense led by Maj. Gen. Dr. Mubarak bin Ghafan Al Jabri visited Lockheed Martin’s Center for Innovation and Security Solutions (CISS) in Abu Dhabi in June 2021. Robert Harward, Lockheed Martin’s chief executive in the Middle East, expanded on his company’s efforts to advance the skills of Emirati engineers toward developing a domestic defense industry. Chief Engineer Hala Al-Zarqani, the first female Emirati engineer to work for CISS, briefed the delegation on the progress of CISS programs to boost Emirati innovation and nurture the capabilities of young Emiratis in the defense and…
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi welcomed Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi and His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein of Jordan to Baghdad for a summit of regional leaders in June 2021. The leaders discussed a strategy for economic cooperation that Prime Minister al-Kadhimi calls New Levant. He wants to knit more closely the economies of Cairo, Baghdad and Amman. “The project invests in Egypt’s tremendous manpower, Iraq’s oil wealth, and Jordan’s geographical position, linking Iraq with Egypt,” Iraqi strategist Hussein Al-Jasser said. “Project New Levant could be the nucleus for a broader bloc, which may soon draw other Arab…
UNIPATH STAFF Kazakhstan strengthened relations with NATO and United States Central Command (CENTCOM) in a series of meetings in the summer of 2021 that corresponded with the drawdown in Afghanistan. In September 2021, Margulan Baimukhan, head of the Kazakh delegation to NATO, presented his credentials to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. They discussed cooperation between Kazakhstan and NATO that included defense- and security-related domestic reforms enshrined in the Individual Partnership Action Plan program between Kazakhstan and NATO for 2022-2025. During the meeting, Baimukhan and Stoltenberg touched on the situation in Afghanistan and potential ways to extend humanitarian aid to the Afghan…
On the 30th anniversary of Uzbekistan’s independence, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken encouraged the country’s leaders to continue its role as a strong regional security partner. “We support Uzbekistan’s continued pursuit of bold reforms, including those in support of fundamental freedoms,” Blinken said in a statement for the September 2021 anniversary. He expressed continued U.S. interest in enhancing its strategic partnership with Uzbekistan to bolster regional security and stability, not least because of the instability in Afghanistan. In his statement, Blinken reiterated the U.S. donation of 3 million doses of vaccine to Uzbekistan to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The…
UNIPATH STAFF Pakistan and Saudi Arabia announced cooperation on security issues relevant to both countries, including Afghanistan, the end to the civil war in Yemen and economic relations. In July 2021, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi hosted Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud for talks in Islamabad. “We have a very, very aligned view as toward the priority to regional stability, regional security, dialogue and resolving issues through dialogue, and we found that security is key,” Al Saud announced at the end of the visit. Some of the discussions entailed the recently created Saudi Pakistan Supreme Coordination Council…