An exhibition of drawings by Afghan refugees living in Dushanbe has taken place in Dushanbe.

Organized by UNHCR Tajikistan and Dushanbe Serena Hotel, the exhibition has been held at Dushanbe Serena Hotel.

Drawings by Morsal Bakhshi, Shaik Khedri, Atifa Adelpour, Farishta Rahimi, Bashir Paykan, Monir Paykan, and Zamaniddin Zavar have been put on display at the exhibition in Dushanbe,  

UNHCR Representative in Tajikistan Vito Trani says that main objective of the exhibition was in drawing once again attention of the public to problems facing refugees.   

UNHCR opened an office in Tajikistan in 1993, when the country was torn by civil war two years after the country declared its independence from the Soviet Union.  That year, Tajikistan became the first country in Central Asia to accede to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol.  It was also the first country in the region to adopt national refugee legislation.  UNHCR has helped people displaced by the civil war to return home as well as assisting refugees.

In Tajikistan, UNHCR works closely with the Government and other partners to identify and achieve solutions for stateless people.  UNHCR also supports the strengthening of national asylum systems, while ensuring sufficient capacity to address any gaps in mandate RSD (refugee status determination).