UNHCR Special Envoy on the Somali Refugee Situation
Ambassador Mohamed Abdi Affey
On 27 September 2016, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, announced the appointment of Ambassador Mohamed Abdi Affey as his Special Envoy for the Somali refugee situation. He noted that the path towards stability and prosperity in Somalia must include solutions for Somalis in exile through the region and that the Special Envoy would assist UNHCR to maximize efforts in the search for solutions for Somali refugees and asylum seekers at national and regional levels.
Ambassador Affey brings with him extensive regional experience, having most recently served as the Special Envoy to Somalia for the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). Previously he held senior positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kenya, serving as Kenya’s Deputy Minister and later as Kenya’s Ambassador to Somalia. From March 2008 to February 2013, as a member of Parliament in the Kenya National Assembly, Ambassador Affey moved several assembly resolutions supporting the stabilization of Somalia by the African Union at the African, Caribbean, Pacific/European Union (ACP/EU) joint parliamentary assembly.
Born in 1968 in Kenya, Ambassador Affey graduated from the University of Nairobi in 2010 with a master’s degree in International Relations and a major in International Conflict Management.
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Documents in this section
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UNHCR warns Somali refugees facing increasingly adverse circumstances in Yemen and require solutions
24 Dec 2016With prolonged conflict devastating the country and civilians facing increasing insecurity and hardship, Yemen’s 278,670 refugees and asylum seekers (Somalis constitute 91%) are particularly at risk.
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UNHCR Special Envoy calls for responsibility-sharing with regard to solutions for Somali refugees
13 Dec 2016One in ten Somalis remains in exile in the sub-region in a situation that has endured for over two decades affecting three generations
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Ethiopia renews commitment to hosting Somali refugees as UNHCR Special Envoy visits country
30 Nov 2016Somali refugees make up one-third of the over 783,000 refugees currently hosted in Ethiopia
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Uganda reaffirms commitment to protect Somali refugees
13 Nov 2016UNHCR Special Envoy in Uganda to discuss the situation of Somali refugees; seek support for a regional summit on the issue in 2017
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Solving Somalia’s refugee situation for good, together
10 Nov 2016INTERVIEW: A joint approach by all the countries that host Somalia’s nearly 1 million refugees is the only way to find a long-lasting fix for a crisis now in its third decade, says Special Envoy
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Kenya pledges support to UNHCR Special Envoy for the Somali refugee situation
10 Nov 2016President Uhuru Kenyatta and Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery welcome Ambassador Affey’s appointment as Special Envoy
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UNHCR Special Envoy advocates for a regional awakening of the Somalia situation during Djibouti visit
7 Nov 2016Appeals for regional support to the Government of Djibouti in providing solutions for refugees, and to the Government of Somalia to create conditions which would allow for dignified voluntarily return of refugees.
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High Commissioner for Refugees Appoints Ambassador Mohamed Abdi Affey as UNHCR Special Envoy on the Somali Refugee Situation
4 Oct 2016Ambassador Affey to assist UNHCR to maximize efforts in the search for solutions for nearly 1 million Somali refugees and asylum seekers.