, Islamic Republic of , SOUTH-WEST .ASIA

SOUTH-WEST ASIA U TH-W ES O T A REGIONAL OVERVIEW S S IA R E G I O

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Recent Developments ity has not caused any new departures to neigh- By August 1999, the majority of the population bouring countries, UNHCR’s offices in Central in the Shomali valley in Afghanistan had been dis- Asia, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan are placed because of fighting which erupted between ready to respond in the case of potential new the and the . Some flows of . 60,000 people had arrived in and been accommodated in the compound of the ex-Soviet Despite conditions in Afghanistan, more than Embassy or with relatives; and another 80,000 80,000 Afghans returned home from the Islamic found themselves in the Panjshir valley. Republic of Iran and Pakistan during the first Displacement had also taken place in the north- nine months of 1999. In addition to individual ern provinces of Kunduz, Takhar and Pul-i-Khumri. assistance and transport, UNHCR has facilitated the reintegration of the returnees through rehabilita- UN agencies and NGOs have been very active in tion projects in their areas of return. UNHCR has the distribution of relief items and in the imple- braved dangerous conditions to conduct inter- mentation of a programme to provide the dis- views with returnees to assess their safety, wel- placed persons with adequate shelter before the fare, rights and general ability to reintegrate. This onset of winter. The UN has continued to receive monitoring has allowed UNHCR to intervene with reliable reports about organised destruction of the the local authorities on behalf of the returnees and agricultural infrastructure in the Shomali valley to design assistance measures which address their and systematic violations of the of most urgent needs. the displaced population. Although activ-

132 Strategic Objectives UNHCR’s primary objective in the region is con- Iraqi refugees currently in the Islamic Republic tinued respect for the rights of refugees, returnees of Iran will also be helped to return home as long and asylum-seekers. This includes guaranteeing the as their decision to repatriate is a voluntary one safe entry of new arrivals, their immediate assis- informed by knowledge of conditions in their tance and the determination of their status in areas of return. About 30,000 Iraqi refugees are coordination with host countries. During the expected to choose to repatriate in 2000. Arrange- refugees’ stay in the countries of asylum, they ments for their repatriation are currently under dis- must be protected from forced return to their cussion with the host government and the refugees country of origin. themselves.

UNHCR also provides assistance to cover their UNHCR will liaise with European Union members basic needs (mainly health, education and social to implement those elements of the EU Action services) and facilitates their self-reliance through Plan for Afghanistan (adopted by the EU Ministers income-generating projects or credit schemes. The of Foreign Affairs in October 1999) that relate to majority of the population in the asylum the mandate and activities of UNHCR. countries is self-sufficient in terms of food and accommodation and has managed to achieve a Operations degree of economic integration. However, the host UNHCR’s country programmes in Afghanistan, the governments have indicated that they do not con- Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan are described sider long-term local settlement of in separate chapters hereafter. a feasible option: voluntary repatriation to Afghanistan is therefore the preferred solution. SOUTH-WEST ASIA BUDGET (USD) Although the current situation in Afghanistan Country Annual Programme does not allow UNHCR to actively promote vol- Afghanistan 7,813,802 untary repatriation, those refugees who make an Islamic Republic of Iran 18,307,734 informed decision to return will be helped with transport and repatriation grants. UNHCR estimates Pakistan 16,030,080 that up to 200,000 Afghan refugees will return in Sub-total 42,151,616 2000. In Afghanistan, rehabilitation activities will Bureau at Headquarters 1,475,400 focus on water, shelter and basic services. Total 43,627,016 REGIONAL OVERVIEW

The Afghan Refugee Situation Afghan refugees have unfortunately broken The socio-economic situation in asylum coun- world records: in the years following the Soviet tries, which have been tremendously generous invasion, more than 6 million Afghans took towards the Afghan refugees, is worsening. Host refuge in Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of governments are becoming increasingly impa- Iran; since 1992, more than 4 million of them tient to find solutions for these large refugee have repatriated. At present, the Afghan refugees groups, and UNHCR is concerned about certain are the single largest and longest-staying refugee practices that have failed to meet internation- population in the world, with 1.4 million still in ally recognised standards of protection. the Islamic Republic of Iran and 1.2 million in Pakistan. International interest in the Afghan cause, and hence financial assistance, has been diminish- Many Afghan refugees, having weighed up the ing over the years. Now at risk are programmes military and political insecurity in Afghanistan, for health, education and social services in the the lack of economic opportunities and basic countries of asylum as well as projects to sup- services, and reports of serious human rights vio- port the reintegration of the returnees in lations, still hesitate to return. Nevertheless, Afghanistan. Voluntary repatriation also requires every year about 100,000 Afghan refugees have solid support to pay for transport and repatri- continued to repatriate to more stable areas of ation packages. In 2000, UNHCR will require the country, and 200,000 refugees are expect- USD 36,997,146 to manage this situation. ed to return in 2000.

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