Background
Afghanistan's first elections for the House of Representatives (Wolesi Jirga) and Provincial Councils took place on Sunday, 18 September 2005. Unlike the Presidential elections, out-of-country voting for Afghan refugees in Iran and Pakistan did not take place. However, the Joint Electoral Management Board (JEMB) and the Independent Electoral Commission in co-ordination with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) established voter registration points at UNHCR Encashment and Transit Centres where returning Afghans could register to cast their ballot.
As in 2004, UNHCR's operations in Afghanistan remained constrained by an unstable security situation. Operational access is limited in some areas, especially in parts of the Southern, South-Eastern and Eastern regions of the country. These limitations became particularly evident when Afghan refugees living in camps in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) were faced with the closure of the camps and opted to return to Afghanistan rather than relocate. Many returned to areas in the provinces of Kunar, Logar, Paktya and Khost which UNHCR was unable to directly access. UNHCR resorted to "remote" monitoring and the provision of humanitarian assistance through local partners.
At the beginning of the year, UNHCR and the Government of Pakistan undertook a census of Afghans in Pakistan to establish the total number of remaining Afghans, obtain basic demographic data, and generate an initial profile of the composition of this population. In addition to similar data obtained in Iran in 2003, the overall demography of the Afghan population is now known. In both countries two salient features have emerged: the large proportion of Afghans who have lived outside their country for more than twenty years and the high number of young people.
Based on the understanding between UNHCR and the Government of Pakistan that not all Afghans living in the country are of concern to UNHCR, the census showed that some three million Afghans are currently living in Pakistan. A Federal Task Force, with the participation of all relevant ministries and selected international organizations (UNHCR, UNDP, IOM), has been set up to propose a variety of future policy developments regarding Afghans in Pakistan. The complete report of the census in Pakistan is available electronically on the UNHCR website, www.unhcr.org Afghanistan page, research/evaluation
The Government of Pakistan and UNHCR have agreed that the registration of Afghans in Pakistan will be carried out in 2006 subject to availability of additional assistance. Preparations are already underway and federal and provincial coordination groups have been set up. It is expected that all registered Afghans will receive an identification document as a proof of registration.
UNHCR has been actively engaged in negotiations on the future of the Afghan population in Pakistan. The co-existence of Afghan refugees and Pakistani communities has been a central topic of the discussions. These communities shall be supported through Host Community Co-existence and Refugee Affected Areas programmes.
In Iran, an agreement was reached on 28 June 2005 to extend the Tripartite Agreement between the Islamic Republic of Iran, Afghanistan and UNHCR until March 2006. The agreement governs the voluntary repatriation operation of Afghan refugees in Iran. The recent Presidential elections resulted in a number of Cabinet changes. The new Cabinet is expected to undertake a review of the situation of Afghan refugees in Iran which UNHCR will contribute to.
Voluntary Repatriation
Facilitating voluntary return from Pakistan and Iran remains UNHCR's priority in 2005. By mid-September, the total number of assisted returns from Pakistan this year rose to 395,000 persons. In Iran the figure was 47,000 persons with an additional 137,000 Afghans having returned spontaneously in the course of the year. Total returns from Pakistan and Iran from 2002 to 2005 stood at 3,972,000 persons. The majority of returns from Pakistan continue to be to Kabul, Nangarhar, Baghlan and Kunduz and from Iran to Kabul, Herat, Farah and Balkh.
Compared to last year's figures, which showed assisted returns from Pakistan at 384,000 persons, projections for end-of-year totals for 2005 suggest there will be an increase. This can be attributed primarily to mid-year camp closures in FATA and to a lesser degree closures in Balochistan, Islamabad and Rawalpindi. As early as April, Afghans from 12 camps in the North Waziristan Agency of FATA, which borders Afghanistan, began repatriating following announcements by the Pakistan government that it intended to close all camps in the region due to security concerns. By the end of July, 5,634 families (33,558 individuals) had returned due to those closures. Similarly, in August it was announced that all camps in Bajaur and Kurram agencies, also located in FATA and formerly housing over 105,000 Afghans, would be closed by the end of the month. Although an overwhelming majority of Afghans chose to go home following the camp closures, relocation within Pakistan was also an option.
By mid-September, over 180,000 Afghans returned to Afghanistan from Iran of which some 47,000 were assisted by UNHCR. This is a significant reduction in the number of assisted returnees compared to 2004 when over 350,000 Afghan refugees opted for voluntary repatriation with the assistance of UNHCR. This decline is linked to the profile of the population of Afghan refugees in Iran. Over 60 per cent have been living in Iran for more than 15 years. Having settled and developed strong links in their villages and communities which generously received them upon their arrival, their links to Afghanistan have weakened. A profound social change which they have experienced in Iran as well as concerns for access to land, shelter, employment, health and education facilities in Afghanistan may discourage many of them to contemplate a return at present.
To support dignified return, all persons returning with assistance from UNHCR receive a travel allowance, which presently ranges from $4 to $37 depending on the destination. A cash grant of $12 per person is also provided as a substitute for the food and non-food items distributed earlier in the operation. Informed decision-making is crucial and therefore Afghans living in Iran and Pakistan continue to receive information about conditions in their home country through UNHCR's Mass Information Unit, which provides written "flyers" on a variety of topical issues (education, healthcare, means for income generation, repatriation procedures, etc.) and supports BBC's Afghanistan Educational Project (AEP) in the production of refugee and returnee-targeted programmes broadcast throughout the region. Additionally, this year UNHCR has supported "Come and Talk" visits to Iran and Pakistan. These are missions organized by UNHCR to facilitate direct contact between Afghan refugees and informed groups of Afghans from their home communities. The objective is to address information gaps and at the same time build confidence between separated communities.
IDP Situation in Afghanistan
Heavy winter snowfall and more frequent rains have ended drought conditions in many of the areas of origin of IDPs currently living in camps and settlements in Southern Afghanistan. Political developments in the Northern provinces, progress in the disarmament process as well as the expansion and deployment of ANA (Afghan National Army) and ANP (Afghan National Police) to more areas of the country, have also created opportunities for IDPs to return to their places of origin in safety and dignity. However, the return of IDPs has remained limited this year. Against a planned figure of 55,000, some 7,000 individuals from the remaining four IDP settlements in the South (Zar-e-Dasht, Mukhtar and Panjwai) and the West (Maslakh) have returned to their places of origin.
More than three years after their displacement, the situation for the remaining IDPs in the camps in the Southern and Western regions has largely stabilized. Surveys among IDPs show basic health indicators comparable to Afghans in surrounding areas as well as a high level of attendance of formal and informal education among children and literacy courses among adults. The majority of the IDP households have also found access to income-generating opportunities in surrounding areas and are no longer dependent on food assistance. UNHCR and its partners continue to invest in marketable skills to increase the ability of IDPs to generate income, while phasing-out general food-assistance (except for extremely vulnerable IDPs).
(pdf * format - 123 KB )