UN Refugees Mission – AFGHANISTAN

“Children are increasingly reported to be used by armed groups, including the Taliban, as combatants, porters of munitions, informants and in some cases as carriers of improvised explosive devices. Continuing attacks by anti-Government elements are also taking a heavy toll on children,”




Working environment

The context

Even though the international community pledged an additional USD 21 billion to Afghanistan in 2008 to support the Afghanistan National Development Strategy, the country’s transition to political, economic and social stability remains uncertain. Seven years after the replacement of the Taliban by an internationally supported Government, insecurity is spreading and the Government effectively controls half of the country, limiting access by humanitarian and development actors. This situation is likely to persist in 2009 as the country’s recovery is threatened by growing insecurity.

At the same time, humanitarian needs rose sharply due to the impact of a harsh winter, drought in the north of the country, conflict-generated displacement and civilian casualties, secondary displacement of some 30,000 refugees who returned from Pakistan and the deportation of undocumented Afghans from the Islamic Republic of Iran. On the positive side, the establishment of the UN Humanitarian Country Team helped the coordination of assistance. The national response to humanitarian needs has also improved.

The return of almost 5 million Afghans since 2002 has placed great pressure on the country’s absorption capacity, especially on its limited local-labour markets. The spread of insecurity has also posed new difficulties for returnees. Nevertheless, by mid-September 2008, almost 250,000 individuals had returned to Afghanistan, driven mainly by a combination of rising prices and the closure of refugee villages in neighbouring Pakistan. With the prospect of more difficult living conditions in both Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran, decisions on return have become increasingly complex for the remaining refugee population, 80 per cent of whom have been in exile for more than 20 years. These emerging developments underpinned the Government of Afghanistan’s decision to call for an international conference on return and reintegration in Kabul in November 2008.

The needs

• UNHCR’s Shelter Programme

• UNHCR’s Water Programme




While UNHCR will continue to fulfil its mandate for a modest number of asylum-seekers and refugees in Afghanistan, the bulk of its work will focus on voluntary repatriation and the reintegration of Afghan returnees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). A recent profiling exercise estimated that there are now some 200,000 IDPs in Afghanistan, although this is a fluid situation affected by drought in 2008 and localized conflicts.

Making direct contact with beneficiaries and conducting needs assessments is becoming increasingly difficult and dangerous in some regions. However, UNHCR has a clear understanding of returnee needs based on information gathering by its partners who have access to areas of high return. These indicate that improvements in the shelter and water sectors are vital if refugees are to be reintegrated into local communities. Employment, education and health and nutrition services are also important to sustain the population in return areas and avoid large-scale migration to the cities. Cash grants have supported returnees’ initial reintegration, but are not enough to maintain longer-term economic and social stability.

Statistics tell only part of the story – behind the figures are families struggling to survive on minimal assistance

Main objectives

• Facilitate the voluntary, safe and gradual return of Afghans from Pakistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran and other host countries, and support their initial reintegration.
• Monitor the physical, legal and material safety of returnees and the reintegration of both refugees and IDPs through direct field work and partnerships with protection agencies.
• Address the longer-term reintegration needs of refugee and IDP returnees by advocacy and enhance cooperation with government ministries and donor agencies to improve resource allocation.

• Strengthen the ability of the Afghan authorities to plan for, manage, and respond to displacement within, to and from Afghanistan.
• Improve the access of asylum-seekers to fair and efficient refugee status determination (RSD) procedures, and facilitate durable solutions.

Key targets

• Some 220,000 refugees return to Afghanistan.
• UNHCR monitors that the human rights of returnees are respected at borders, encashment centres and in villages of return, and activates immediate corrective measures in case of violations.
• Some 10,000 shelters are constructed for the most vulnerable returnee families.
• Existing information and legal counselling centres are expanded to reduce obstacles to sustainable reintegration, while the capacity of formal justice systems is increased to pave the way for the eventual phasing down of the existing centres.
• Preparedness measures are in place for the distribution of non-food items to 40,000 families in case of humanitarian disasters, deportation or forced displacement.
• Cash-for-work projects are implemented in selected rural communities with high returnee populations, and employment opportunities are created.
• Accurate information on conditions for return is provided to Afghans in asylum countries through mass information campaigns.
• The Government undertakes the management of asylum issues in accordance with relevant international legal standards and minimal support from UNHCR.

Read Full UNHCR Report : Country Operation ,the Profil of Afghanistan

HELP VULNERABLE POEPLE TO SURVIVE : "The Battle Of Water in Afghanistan"

Angelina Jolie returned in Afghanistan

Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie appeals for more support for Afghan refugee returnees. During her first visit to Afghanistan, Jolie saw both the successes and difficulties facing Afghans returning home after years of exile.

The actress Angelina Jolie: emergency appeal UNHCR

To cope with a humanitarian crisis, perhaps on an unprecedented scale, UNHCR launched an appeal for funds of 268 million dollars to cover for six months needs an emergency operation which could see an influx a million refugees in Pakistan, 400 000 in Iran and 50 000 in Tajikistan and Turkmenistan respectively. UNHCR is also planning assistance to 500 000 people inside of Afghanistan, if such intervention is necessary.

Afghanistan is facing a winter food crisis which could put millions of lives at risk. A severe drought has hit harvests and appeals by the government and the World Food Programme haven’t brought in the much-needed aid.

From Kabul, Hashem Ahelbarra reports.

Few year ago, The actress Angelina Jolie, goodwill ambassador for UNHCR, was the first individual donor to have today responded to the call for funds launched by the UNHCR for more than 260 million dollars for refugees and internally displaced Afghans.

The newspaper that Ms. Jolie has held during his visit to Pakistan last August will soon be available on the website : http://usaforunhcr.org

The American actress told the UNHCR that it offered $ 1 million for aid to Afghan refugees in neighbouring asylum countries such as Pakistan and Iran, which alone already home to 3.5 million refugees. During these years, Ms. Jolie had already contributed to UNHCR programmes in Africa and Asia.

Ms. Jolie visited Pakistan last August to meet with refugees and become familiar with the work and UNHCR programmes in favour of the 2 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Having seen closely the tragic situation in which there are these refugees, she feels particularly affected by the looming humanitarian crisis across the region.

In the emergency plan of UNHCR operations are detailed assistance of an exceptional magnitude, which include construction and maintenance of refugee camps and the delivery of more than 80 000 tents, hundreds of thousands of kits hygiene and health and tons of other equipment, much of which would be sent by plane to Pakistan and Iran.

The UNHCR could deploy more than 700 international staff and additional premises to manage the crisis that lies ahead, in addition to some 500 people already working with UNHCR in neighbouring Afghanistan.

The UNHCR, twice winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in fifty years of existence, takes care of 22 million refugees and other uprooted people in over 120 countries worldwide.

PRESSES AND MEDIA : Afghan Poverty and Agony

Afghan Lives at risk due to Winter Drought

Russia reconsiders co-operation with Nato in Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s Millennium Development Goals Report 2005

On a Report  dating of September 28 th 2008 ,

Nato operations in Afghanistan could be jeopardised if Russia follows through on a threat to cut co-operation.

Moscow accuses the West of having “hostile policies” towards Russia, and says it might ban Nato from entering Russian airspace.

From Kabul, Zeina Khodr reports on what effect Russia’s resistance might have.

More links :

• United Nations Assistane Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA)
• Security Council Resolution 1868 extending UNAMA’s mandate, March 2009 (Dari – Pashto)
• Security Council Resolution 1833 extending ISAF’s mandate, September 2008
• Bonn Agreement, 2001
• Afghanistan Compact, 2006 (Dari – Pashto)
• Paris Declaration, 2008 (Dari – Pashto)
• Afghanistan National Development Strategy

Landmines Clearance operations

United Nations Millennium Development Goals

Mrs.Radhika Coomaraswamy remarks about Children in Afghanistan,

International Security Assistance Force

The United Nations Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, is concerned that future generations are being put at risk in Afghanistan. “Children are the forgotten victims of the fighting and continue to be neglected”,Reports of children being used by anti-Government elements, the death and injury children suffer during the fighting, the detention of children, sexual violence against children and the continuing attacks on schools, teachers and school children.