United Nations for High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has revitalised its interest in assisting the government of Malawi to develop the new resettlement site for refugees in Chitipa district.
Minister of Homeland Security Kenneth Zikhale Ng’oma on Thursday led a Malawi delegation to a meeting which was attended by UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, Raouf Mazou and Director of Regional Bureau for Southern Africa, Chansa Kapaya.
The meeting was done on the sidelines of the 75th session of the UNHCR Executive committee ( EXCOM) underway in Geneva, Switzerland.
Ng’oma highlighted that the government of Malawi is committed to improving the protection of refugees and asylum seekers.
He said this is evidenced by the major steps which have been taken towards reviewing the 1989 Refugee Act.
In response, Mazou promised to help the government of Malawi in the development of the new settlement site in Chitipa District.
Mazou clarified that this will be made possible by working with other partners in lobbying for funding of the project.
He said the new site is pivotal to decongesting Dzaleka refugee camp, which is accommodating over 50,000 refugees.
The Government of Malawi acquired over 400 hectares of land at Kayilizi in Chitipa district as a way to decongest Dzaleka refugee camp in Dowa.