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Al-Zawari Meets Mr. Armen Yedigarian, Assistant Representative of the UNHCR in Yemen
Jul 09, 2025
His Excellency Dr. Mohammed Saeed Al-Zawari, Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, called on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and donor entities to provide the necessary support to strengthen the Ministry’s efforts in addressing refugee issues, building the capacity of its staff to enable them to review and analyze policies, develop social protection systems, and fulfill its obligations toward refugees.
This came during his meeting this afternoon at his office in the capital, Aden, with Mr. Armen Yedigarian, Assistant Representative of the UNHCR in Yemen, and his accompanying delegation. During the meeting, Minister Al-Zawari reaffirmed the commitment of the legitimate government, represented by his ministry, to honor its pledges toward refugees in accordance with the required mechanisms and current circumstances. He emphasized the Ministry’s efforts to find sustainable solutions to address refugee issues in the country.
Minister Al-Zawari also stressed the importance of re-establishing the joint team between the Ministry and the UNHCR to serve as a point of contact and an effective coordination mechanism that would help organize joint work between the two parties.
Al-Zawari expressed his appreciation for the efforts of the UNHCR in Yemen and its support for the Ministry in facing the challenges related to refugee issues.
For his part, Mr. Armen Yedigarian thanked His Excellency Minister Al-Zawari for the opportunity to meet, highlighting the importance of developing a legal framework that guarantees the rights of refugees and provides them with opportunities to become self-reliant. He emphasized that self-reliance is a fundamental criterion for refugees to fulfill their responsibilities and noted that issuing such a legal framework would be a significant achievement for the legitimate government.
Yedigarian reaffirmed the UNHCR’s commitment to urging donors to support the Ministry and enable it to fulfill its obligations toward refugees.
The meeting was attended by Faiza Abdulmajeed, Acting Deputy Minister for the Social Development Sector; Mohammed Ali Al-Sammati, Director General of Associations; Mohammed Rafiq Nasri, Head of the UNHCR Office in Aden; and Muammar Alwan, Field Officer at the UNHCR.
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