Sheikha Jawaher lauds Pakistan for generously hosting Afghan refugees

Islamabad: Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of the Ruler of Sharjah, Chairperson of the Big Heart Foundation (TBHF) and UNHCR Eminent Advocate has expressed gratitude to the Government of Pakistan for showing exceptional generosity and continued care and support to Afghan refugees for more than 40 years.

Sheikha Jawaher was on a six-day official visit to Pakistan where she attended the Refugee Summit Islamabad, which marked 40 years of hosting Afghan refugees in Pakistan. The high-level conference was organized by the Government of Pakistan and UNHCR.

“In Pakistan, you are in safe hands,” she told the trainees during her visit to the Women Welfare and Development Centre in Islamabad where 350 young women, including Afghan refugees, are acquiring technical skills. UNHCR and government representatives were also present on the occasion.

At the Women Welfare and Development Centre, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher admired the talent and expertise of the trainees, praising the artisanal value of the projects that they produced. She also called for greater access and new market opportunities for such products. She urged governments and civil society organizations to prioritize the education of members of low-income and crisis-affected communities.

Sheikha Jawaher noted that the protection of children’s dignity and providing them with access to quality education should be the starting point for the design of programmes globally. Otherwise, she added that the world’s developmental march would generate sub-standard results.

Earlier, attended a signing ceremony to formalize her support for a livelihood project in Pakistan. The agreement was signed by UNHCR Representative in Pakistan, Ms. Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, and the Director of the NAMA Women Advancement Establishment, Her Excellency Ms. Reem Bint Karam. The livelihood project will benefit 100 Afghan and Pakistani women residing in Quetta, Balochistan.

Sheikha Jawaher also met with senior officials and representatives of several educational and childcare institutions in Islamabad and Lahore. During her stay in Pakistan, she was accompanied by an official delegation from her Executive Office, the NAMA Women Advancement Establishment and the Big Heart Foundation.