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Afghan women make history by being elected to National Assembly
14 Nov 2005 When the results of the Afghan parliamentary elections were announced on Sunday, 68 women were among the 249 successful candidates. The election of women, including ex-refugee Shinkai Karokhail, to the country's National Assembly marks a historic step forward in the long struggle to give women more rights in this highly conservative South Asian nation. -
New permits allow Indonesian refugees to move on in Papua New Guinea
14 Oct 2005 On the first anniversary of their transfer to a remote refugee settlement area in Papua New Guinea, a group of 184 refugees from Indonesia's Papua province (formerly known as Irian Jaya) have been granted residency permits which will transform their daily lives -
Huge Afghan convoy sets off home across the Hindu Kush
6 Oct 2005 A 100-vehicle convoy, carrying almost 1,000 returning refugees, is currently winding its way slowly through the Hindu Kush mountain range in Afghanistan, after setting off last week from Chitral in north-west Pakistan. -
Future of Afghan refugees and migrants to be discussed in Geneva
4 Oct 2005 The governments of Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan will meet with donor governments and international organizations in Geneva on October 7, for the latest round of Strategic Consultations on Refugees and Population Movements to and from Afghanistan, the UN refugee agency announced on Tuesday. -
New beginning and identity for Afghan girl forced to live as a boy
26 Sep 2005 Anita was rescued by UN refugee agency and Afghan government monitors as she crossed the border back from Iran, after a traumatic childhood during which she was twice forced to pretend to be male - once in order to earn money for her drug-addict father, and then to escape a marriage he had forced her into. -
Afghan returns pass 400,000 mark in 2005, reaching 4.2 million overall
22 Sep 2005 The 400,000th Afghan refugee this year was helped to return home on Thursday, taking the total number assisted under the UN refugee agency's repatriation programme to almost 3.5 million since 2002. Including spontaneous returns, the overall total since then now stands at 4.2 million. -
UNHCR deplores forced return of Afghan refugee family from Tajikistan
16 Sep 2005 The UN refugee agency on Friday criticized the government of Tajikistan's deportation of an Afghan refugee family earlier this week, saying it was a clear violation of two international legal conventions, as well as Tajikistan's own national laws. -
Afghanistan signs 1951 Refugee Convention
2 Sep 2005 UN refugee agency chief António Guterres today welcomed Afghanistan's accession to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, a move that signifies the country's progressive recovery and the region's steps towards greater stability and cooperation. -
Basketball bonus lets young refugees shoot hoops of hope
1 Sep 2005 With an extra bounce in their step, students in refugee settlements in East Awin, Papua New Guinea, are rediscovering the joys of playing basketball, thanks to a donation by the Fédération Internationale de Basketball that is drawing young refugees and locals together.