UNHCR calls for international push to end Afghanistan refugee situation
UNHCR chief António Guterres closes solidarity mission to Pakistan with call for innovative solutions to end world's largest protracted refugee situation.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 25 (UNHCR) - The head of the UN refugee agency has called on the international community to redouble its engagement with Afghanistan to help bring an end to the world's largest protracted refugee situation.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres pointed out that reinvigorated and continued engagement was critical to support Afghanistan's nation building and reconciliation processes at a time of dwindling resources and expanding humanitarian needs worldwide.
"Robust development initiatives aimed at creating long-term incentives for durable return and conditions conducive for sustainable reintegration in Afghanistan are vital to create pull factors and allow for inclusion, participation and active contribution of returning Afghans, particularly the youth," he said.
Guterres was speaking at a joint press conference with Pakistan's Minister of States and Frontier Regions Abdul Qadir Baloch at the end of a three-day Ramadan solidarity mission to Pakistan. He flew out on Thursday.
The UN refugee chief noted the future of some 2.6 million Afghan refugees in the region, many of whom have been living outside their country for over three decades, still hung in the balance while fresh emergencies in the Middle East and Africa competed for global attention.
Praising Pakistan's goodwill and hospitality as a host nation, Guterres noted that "the unwavering generosity of Pakistani people towards Afghan refugees has contributed to regional stability but also more broadly to the global refugee cause at a time when we witness increased asylum fatigue worldwide."
However, Guterres stressed that 2015 was a pivotal year for Afghanistan, offering unprecedented opportunities to pursue innovative and lasting solutions for Afghan refugees in the region.
"Traditional approaches are no longer sufficient to fully capitalize on the potential for solutions in 2015 in view of prevailing challenges in Afghanistan … in an environment of shrinking humanitarian resources, it is vital to pursue innovative solutions and creative joint advocacy and resource mobilization," he added.
The High Commissioner said he was encouraged by the new National Unity Government of Afghanistan for their ownership and commitment to sustainable return and reintegration of refugees and he repeated calls for the international community to support those efforts.
"It is critical that the international community steps up to support the Afghan government in their efforts to create adequate conditions for Afghans to return home and restart their lives in safety and dignity," he said.
Pakistan is currently hosting 1.5 million registered Afghan refugees; the largest protracted refugee population globally, of which 67 per cent live in urban and peri-urban areas, while 33 per cent remain in special refugee villages. Within Pakistan, some 1 million registered Afghan refugees reside in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Since 2002, more than 3.8 million Afghan refugees have returned home from Pakistan, assisted through the largest voluntary repatriation programme in UNHCR's history.
Complementary to robust community based development initiatives in Afghanistan, the introduction of an Enhanced Voluntary Return and Reintegration Package (EVRRP) can help stimulate voluntary repatriation and support sustainable reintegration of Afghan refugees, as the preferred solution and key objective of the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees which enters the second stage of its implementation in 2015-17.
Pro-active joint resource mobilization with non-traditional and traditional donors, led by the Government of Afghanistan, supported by the Government of Pakistan and facilitated by UNHCR is being pursued to secure funding for the implementation of EVRRP and the overall Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees. As an important first step in these efforts, a joint mission to the Gulf Cooperation Council countries is planned for the end of August 2015.
During the three days, Guterres held a series of meetings with senior Pakistani officials including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President (ai) Raza Rabbani as well as provincial authorities, donor nation representatives, UN heads of agencies, civil society and refugee elders.
By Duniya Aslam Khan, Islamabad, Pakistan
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UNHCR Global Report 2002 - Afghanistan
1 Jun 2003 ... the voluntary repatria- tion of Afghans from the Islamic Republic of Iran, Pakistan, and the Central Asian Republics ... assis- tance in returnee areas, in particular, water and shelter. ...... -
UNHCR Global Report 2002 - Pakistan
1 Jun 2003 ... Main objectives The prime aim in Pakistan was to facilitate the voluntary return of Afghan refugees. At the same time, UNHCR ... half million Afghans went home with assistance from UNHCR and its partners. ...... -
Roadblock holds up Afghan returns in tribal area of north-west Pakistan
15 Apr 2008 ... ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 15 (UNHCR) - The UN refugee agency on Tuesday temporarily suspended its Afghan voluntary return operation via ... highway has left hundreds of home-bound Afghans stranded. ...... -
Pakistan camp bids farewell to large convoy of Afghans
4 Aug 2006 ... PESHAWAR, Pakistan, August 4 (UNHCR) - More than 1,000 Afghans went home this week from a refugee camp in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) in one of the year's biggest organised return ...... -
Last convoys of the year head home to Afghanistan from Pakistan
15 Dec 2005 ... - The year's last return convoys are leaving ... A total of 29 Afghan families - 164 individuals - left three different Pakistani provinces and ... Their departure from Pakistan's North West ...... -
Voluntary returns to Afghanistan - over 60,000 this year
28 Oct 2011 ... The number of Afghan refugees returning home from Pakistan, Iran and other countries under UNHCR's voluntary return operation has exceeded 60,000 to date in 2011. 43,000 of these are from Pakistan and ...... -
For an Afghan refugee family, reports from home spur a return
5 Jan 2012 ... Since 2002, UNHCR's voluntary repatriation programme has assisted more than 3.7 million Afghan refugees to return home. In 2011, some 50,000 Afghan refugees repatriated from Pakistan, making it one of ...... -
Afghanistan Humanitarian Update No. 48
15 Jan 2002 ... At a Glance: Post-New Year returns from Iran top 10,000 Afghans massed at border UNHCR opens new camp in Pakistan Aid rushed to ... have returned home from Iran in the first half of January. ...... -
Transfer of Afghans from Jalozai camp begins; 12,000 Afghans have returned home from Iran this month
19 Nov 2001 ... KOTKAI, Pakistan, Nov. 19 (UNHCR) - In the first of a series of transfers planned for the coming days, almost 400 Afghans were transferred Monday from the ... to voluntarily return to their country ......