UNHCR values Yemen efforts to shelter Somali refugees

UN  High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres has praised Yemen's efforts to house Somali refugees. 

During his Wednesday meeting in Geneva with the Deputy Foreign Minister and the Chairman of the National Commission for Refuge Affairs Ali Muthana, Guterres praised President Saleh's role in supporting Somali national reconciliation efforts. 

The UN official confirmed the role of the UNHCR in contributing to the improvement of the capacities of groups working in refugees' affairs, and noted that he has called on the international community to increase its assistance to Yemen. 

While attending the 59th session of the Executive Committee of the United Nations High Commissioner's for Refugees (UNHCR) currently being held in Geneva, Muthana has held meetings with heads of the Saudi Arabian, American, German, Japanese and Dutch delegations. 

Muthana discussed with each, separately, the latest development in the Horn of Africa, particularly the ongoing crisis in Somalia and the resulting outflow of Somali refugees. They also discussed the increasingly serious piracy problem emanating from Somalia and possible means of addressing it. 

These meetings have confirmed the international community's support for a political solution in Somalia, as well as the need for the international community to shoulder a larger share of the burden in dealing with this crisis. 

Moreover, they have asserted the importance of supporting Yemen's efforts to bear the burden of housing more than 700,000 refugees, as well as the Yemeni coastguards’ efforts to fight piracy in cooperation with the international community. 

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