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
Rising tensions deepen humanitarian strain for migrants in Iran: expert
Rising tensions deepen humanitarian strain for migrants in Iran: expert
Colombians are heading to the polls on Sunday to elect their next president. The country's constitution prevents the current President, Gustavo Petro, from running for a second term.
Yet, many see this election as a referendum on the policies of Gustavo Petro, Colombia's first leftist president.
There are 14 candidates on Sunday's ballot, but the polls show it will likely be a tight three-way race.
The frontrunner is Ivan Cepeda, a 63-year-old three-term senator, representing President Gustavo Petro's party, the Historic Pact coalition. Cepeda has vowed to defend and deepen Petro's progressive reforms and social justice policies to reduce inequality. He also promises to continue the government's controversial "Total Peace" strategy to negotiate the disarmament of remaining guerrilla groups and criminal gangs.
"True prosperity comes from equality, from access to rights, and from transforming the peripheral and excluded territories of the rural world," Cepeda said at a campaign rally.
Running as a political outsider and independent is Abelardo de la Espriella, a 47-year-old lawyer, nicknamed "The Tiger." He has presented himself as the "authority and order" candidate who will reduce state spending by up to 40 percent in the next four years.
"(First,) we must fight insecurity. Colombia is suffering today from a pandemic of insecurity. Crime is out of control: extortion, cattle theft, smuggling, drug trafficking," he said to his supporters at an election event.
According to polls, the third candidate with strong support is Paloma Valencia. The 48-year-old senator represents the Democratic Center party led by popular former President Alvaro Uribe Velez. Her candidacy is backed by politicians and economists who are concerned with growing levels of public debt. They want to see a return to more conservative fiscal policies.
"I don't want to be a president who governs alone, locked away in glass offices. I want to be a president who stands with citizens, who embraces them, who reaches out to them, who has a team, and who governs to transform Colombia," the candidate said at the campaign event
According to polls earlier in the year, many voters are expressing concerns about unemployment, rising living costs, corruption, and, above all, public security.
The election comes after a turbulent year that the International Committee of the Red Cross has called "the worst humanitarian consequences of armed conflict over the past decade."
"(We arrive at this election in a tense atmosphere - tense) because of the economic situation, because of the security situation, and because of the narratives that have been built around the country's main problems. On top of that, emotions, ideas and social media have all helped raise (the tone,)" said Eduardo Velosa, associate professor from International Studies Javeriana University.
If no candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election will be held between the top two finishers on June 21st.
Colombians prepare to choose their next president
