October 5, 2023

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Armenia: UNESCO to send an emergency mission to assist with refugee welcome

At Armenia's request, UNESCO will send an emergency mission to Yerevan in the next few days to help meet Karabakh refugees’ educational needs. The mission will ensure educational continuity for displaced pupils and provide them with psychosocial support.

Over 100,000 people have left the Karabakh region in recent days and are now refugees in Armenia, around a third are children and teenagers.

On Monday 2 October, Armenia officially requested UNESCO's support in receiving the refugees and meeting their needs; as part of its mandate for Education. The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, immediately responded favourably to this request.

In the next few days, UNESCO will send a mission of experts to Yerevan to develop a plan of action with the national authorities designed to ensure educational continuity for the displaced pupils.

The action plan will aim to put in place good learning conditions for pupils, give them access to remedial or catch-up programmes, and provide them with psychosocial support to help them cope with the challenges they are facing. Very soon, UNESCO will also meet with its international education partners and donors to request their assistance, including financial support, in implementing these educational initiatives.