A delegation led by the Chinese embassy in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) paid their tribute to the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs in Jeongju and Kusong cities, North Pyongan province, ahead of this year's Qingming Festival.
Staff members from the embassy, as representatives of Chinese institutions, media outlets, and overseas Chinese students in the DPRK attended the ceremony.
Chinese Ambassador to the DPRK Wang Yajun expressed the gratitude to the Party and government of the DPRK for the meticulous restoration and preservation of the memorial facilities for the CPV martyrs.
The DPRK side noted that the peoples of the two countries forged a special friendship in their shared struggle, and the DPRK people will never forget the enormous sacrifices and important contributions made by the CPV.
Falling on Sunday, Qingming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, is a traditional Chinese festival for honoring the deceased and paying tributes to ancestors.
Memorial services for CPV held in DPRK
Humanitarian pressures for migrants are spreading across the Iran as the conflict in the Middle East intensifies, according to the International Organization of Migration (IOM).
Iran hosts a large number of Afghans, with round 4.5 million Afghans working and living there, making it one of the largest migrant hosting countries in the world.
Salvador Gutierrez, representative of the IOM in Iran, said numerous migrants remain excluded from essential public services, with women, children and the elderly particularly at risk.
"We have an increase of the vulnerabilities of all the migrants, particularly the elderly, the children, the women. And as I already mentioned, most of these migrants have already lost their jobs. And they do not have this protection network. They don't have families here. And in several cases, they are also concerned because many of these migrants are irregular migrants, and they do not have access to all the services that the national population has. So, they are struggling much more," he said in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) via video link in Tehran on Thursday.
He said the IOM is working with Iranian authorities to track population movements, assess needs, and deliver emergency assistance on the ground.
"We are coordinating with the government to assess the needs that the population has. We are also conducting these activities related to tracking the mobility, and also monitoring how the flow is in the different borders of the country. We are providing direct support and to migrants, to refugees, to IDPs (internally displaced persons), and also to stranded migrants. So, we are here delivering on the ground and monitoring the situation and even calling all the different countries to support this humanitarian response, which is deeply needed in the country," said Gutierrez.
Rising tensions deepen humanitarian strain for migrants in Iran: expert
