Bilateral, regional dialogue crucial for refugees return:India

With internal conflicts forcing thousands of people to flee their country, India has said bilateral and regional dialogue among nations is important to ensure that refugees return safely to their place of origin.
"There is an imperative to create conditions for voluntary repatriation, which is the most durable solution to such problem," Visiting Member of Parliament Arvind Kumar Singh, delivering a statement in Hindi at the UN General Assembly here, said.
Singh, during a third committee session on 'Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, returnees and displaced persons and Humanitarian Questions, said while addressing emerging crises situations it is important that countries not lose sight of the protracted refugee situations.

Among the Indian Parliamentarians visiting the UNGA this year for the participating in various UN sessions, the Samajwadi Party MP was the first to deliver his address in Hindi.
"While we recognize the political complexities that limit the implementation of voluntary return in many cases, bilateral and regional dialogues amongst countries involved is necessary to reassure the refugees of safe and stable return to their countries of origin.
"To this end, developing countries of origin should also be assisted to create economic opportunities for returning refugees. Over the past one year, with significant deterioration of crisis situations in many countries, more than 1. 1 million people have fled their countries of origin," Singh said.

He highlighted that in a common pursuit to find more durable solutions, it is important to develop a better understanding of the underlying reasons that would help develop more comprehensive policies for early return and reintegration of refugees into their home country.
India stressed that that UNHCR's involvement in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) should only be with the concurrence of national authorities and such involvement should be based on due consideration of its mandate, modality of intervention, availability of resources and careful examination of all implications before mainstreaming such activities.
Singh also pointed out that nations need to guard against the intersection of the two constituencies of migrants and refugees.