• Text size Normal size text | Increase text size by 10% | Increase text size by 20% | Increase text size by 30%
  • Also available in French

UNHCR and Pakistan government sign Letter of Mutual Intent

Briefing Notes, 13 March 2009

This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson William Spindler – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at the press briefing, on 13 March 2009, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

UNHCR and the Pakistan government today signed a letter of intent to allow registered Afghans to extend their stay in the country until the end of 2012.

Minister of State and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) Najamuddin Khan and UNHCR Representative Guenet Guebre-Christos signed the Letter of Mutual Intent. It builds upon previous agreements within a tripartite framework between UNHCR and the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan about the temporary stay of registered Afghans in Pakistan, their gradual and voluntary repatriation, and support from the international community to Pakistan for hosting one of the largest refugee populations in the world.

The letter states that the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions, Government of Pakistan, will undertake measures to extend the validity of the "Proof of Registration" (PoR) cards issued to Afghan citizens living in Pakistan until the end of 2012; review and approve, at the Cabinet level, a revised strategy for the management of Afghans living in Pakistan beyond 2009; and support the extension of the current Tripartite Agreement between the Governments of Pakistan, Afghanistan and UNHCR until the end of 2012.

The letter also states that UNHCR will continue to support voluntary, safe, dignified and gradual repatriation of Afghans from Pakistan. UNHCR will also actively engage the international community to fund the US $140 million Refugee-Affected and Hosting Areas (RAHA) programme over five years. RAHA will benefit Pakistanis and Afghans through development projects in rural regions most affected by the presence of Afghans and through health, education and water and sanitation improvements to communities that continue to host Afghan refugees in urban and rural areas. UNHCR will also continue to raise funds to support the Registration Information Project of Afghan Citizens to improve the quality of registration data, and update and correct proof of registration cards so that information about the Afghan population is current.

Today's agreement follows the 16th Tripartite Commission meeting held in Islamabad on 29 August 2008, which acknowledged that future planning for the voluntary return of registered Afghans should reflect reintegration challenges and ground realities in Afghanistan.

There are currently 1.7 million registered Afghans in Pakistan residing in refugee villages or scattered among host communities.

The RAHA programme will be implemented in 21 districts of Pakistan, mostly in the provinces of Balochistan and North West Frontier Province, and six urban areas of Sindh and Punjab, which have hosted the most number of Afghans. The programme, to be convened by UNHCR and UNDP, will improve social cohesion and local economies through community development and helping people to rebuild their livelihoods. For example, projects will focus on boosting employment prospects, reviving agricultural and irrigation systems, repairing farm to market roads, improving crop and livestock production, and marketing produce.

Other aspects of the programme will improve primary and secondary schools, boost health facilities and services, and increase access to safe drinking water. In those areas where the environment has been affected by the hosting of large refugee populations, projects will be designed to restore natural forest cover, rehabilitate degraded rangelands and watersheds and improve animal habitats.

• DONATE NOW • • GET INVOLVED • • STAY INFORMED •

 

Related stories by:

UNHCR country pages

Revised Supplementary Appeal for UNHCR's Emergency Assistance to Flood-Affected Populations in Pakistan

August 2010

Rebuilding Lives in Afghanistan

With elections scheduled in October, 2004 is a crucial year for the future of Afghanistan, and Afghans are returning to their homeland in record numbers. In the first seven months of 2004 alone, more than half a million returned from exile. In all, more than 3.6 million Afghans have returned since UNHCR's voluntary repatriation programme started in 2002.

The UN refugee agency and its partner organisations are working hard to help the returnees rebuild their lives in Afghanistan. Returnees receive a grant to cover basic needs, as well as access to medical facilities, immunisations and landmine awareness training.

UNHCR's housing programme provides tool kits and building supplies for families to build new homes where old ones have been destroyed. The agency also supports the rehabilitation of public buildings as well as programmes to rehabilitate the water supply, vocational training and cash-for-work projects.

Rebuilding Lives in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Rebuilding a War-Torn Country

The cycle of life has started again in Afghanistan as returnees put their shoulders to the wheel to rebuild their war-torn country.

Return is only the first step on Afghanistan's long road to recovery. UNHCR is helping returnees settle back home with repatriation packages, shelter kits, mine-awareness training and vaccination against diseases. Slowly but surely, Afghans across the land are reuniting with loved ones, reconstructing homes, going back to school and resuming work. A new phase in their lives has begun.

Watch the process of return, reintegration, rehabilitation and reconstruction unfold in Afghanistan through this gallery.

Afghanistan: Rebuilding a War-Torn Country

Home Without Land

Land is hot property in mountainous Afghanistan, and the lack of it is a major reason Afghans in exile do not want to return.

Although landless returnees are eligible for the Afghan government's land allocation scheme, demand far outstrips supply. By the end of 2007, the authorities were developing 14 settlements countrywide. Nearly 300,000 returnee families had applied for land, out of which 61,000 had been selected and 3,400 families had actually moved into the settlements.

Desperate returnees sometimes have to camp in open areas or squat in abandoned buildings. Others occupy disputed land where aid agencies are not allowed to build permanent structures such as wells or schools.

One resilient community planted itself in a desert area called Tangi in eastern Afghanistan. With help from the Afghan private sector and the international community, water, homes, mosques and other facilities have sprouted – proof that the right investment and commitment can turn barren land into the good earth.

Posted on 31 January 2008

Home Without Land

Afghanistan: Mariam's StoryPlay video

Afghanistan: Mariam's Story

Mariam was a refugee in Iran for six years. The widow and mother returned in 2002 and has been internally displaced ever since. Her situation is very uncertain.
Pakistan: Flood Relief Play video

Pakistan: Flood Relief

Floods in Pakistan have ruined crops and destroyed homes. The rains have ended but displaced people will need help for weeks or months to come.
Pakistan: The Floods Return Play video

Pakistan: The Floods Return

Flooding has returned to Pakistan, forcing people to flee their homes for the second year in a row. A year after his wife died in floodwaters, Obhayo Babar is on the move again.