Since major repatriation operations to Afghanistan resumed in 2002, more than 5 million Afghans have returned to their country, mostly from Pakistan and Iran. Another half million internally displaced people have gone back home. However, approximately 3 million Afghans still remain in the two neighbouring countries alone. Localised conflict continues to displace some communities within Afghanistan, while poverty and lack of job opportunities oblige many Afghans to seek employment abroad.

With the successful completion of the Bonn process agreed in December 2001, Afghanistan has a democratically elected president, a parliament and a constitution. But the political transition and economic development still face challenges.

Continued insecurity, particularly in the south and east, is a major impediment to reconstruction and development. Read more...