Afghan refugees: From conflict to care

– Since 1979, UNHCR in Pakistan has been assisting Afghans fleeing conflict in their homeland. For the past three decades, Afghans have been one of the largest groups of persons of concern to UNHCR as asylum-seekers, refugees or returnees.

– UNHCR is responsible for facilitating the voluntary, safe and dignified return of Afghan refugees and to assisting them in the initial phase of return, supporting and advocating for their longer term reintegration.

– At present, some 1.62 million registered Afghans reside in Pakistan. Some 37 per cent of the population lives in Refugee Villages (RVs) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Baluchistan and Punjab provinces. The remaining 63 per cent live in urban and rural areas.

– In the absence of a national legal framework for refugees in Pakistan, UNHCR conducts refugee status determination (RSD) under its mandate. Pakistan accepts UNHCR decisions on RSD and allows asylum seekers, as well as recognised refugees, to remain in Pakistan pending the identification of a durable solution.

– More than 3.8 million Afghans have returned to their country of origin since UNHCR began its assisted voluntary repatriation programme in 2002.

– For a small number of the most vulnerable refugees, UNHCR looks to third-country resettlement as a solution. Recognising the serious protection concerns faced by some Afghan refugees in the region, Australia allocated an additional 1,000 places specifically for the resettlement of Afghan refugees from Pakistan in the 2012-2013 fiscal year.

– The Refugee Affected and Hosting Areas (Raha) initiative supports infrastructure, environment, education and health systems in the hosting areas inhabited by refugees to mitigate the impact of an additional population living alongside the local community.

– The initiative also aims to create and support basic services through development interventions for both Afghan refugees and Pakistani communities. Together with UNHCR as the convening agency for Raha, other actors, including sister agencies participate in the initiative.