Foreword from the Chief of Mission

IOM Afghanistan Newsletter Autumn 2015

Foreword from the Chief of Mission As the world watches growing numbers of migrants try to reach Europe, including thousands of Afghans, we must focus not only on protecting the lives of those making this often dangerous journey, but also on the many migration challenges still being faced inside Afghanistan. Substantial needs remain at the borders with Pakistan and Iran. From January through August, nearly 90,000 undocumented Afghans have returned through Torkham border with Pakistan. In addition, some 12,000 undocumented Afghans have been displaced from North Waziristan, Pakistan by conflict. These newly-arrived individuals had been living in Pakistan for an average of 24 years, and there are significant concerns about their long-term reintegration into communities already facing strained resources. At the borders with Iran, the concerns are similar, with hundreds of returnees including many unaccompanied minors arriving every day. In this issue of our newsletter, we are fortunate to have a guest contribution from Nassim Majidi, Director of Migration Research at Samuel Hall Consulting. Her article highlights the findings of a recent study looking at agency and choice among the displaced, and how humanitarian and development initiatives can most effectively meet the needs of some of Afghanistan s most vulnerable people. With the heavy focus this year on Afghans on the move whether returning from neighbouring countries or taking the risky journey abroad to Europe, it is essential that the international community continue to provide support to Afghanistan amidst other competing global priorities. Afghans, displaced or not, inside their country or in other lands, all have equal rights which must be protected. Richard Danziger Chief of Mission, IOM Afghanistan

Return of Undocumented Afghans from Pakistan and Iran Since 2008, IOM has provided vulnerable, undocumented Afghans returning from Iran and Pakistan with immediate humanitarian post-arrival assistance through its Cross-Border Return and Reintegration (CBRR) programme, operating at Torkham border with Pakistan as well as Islam Qala and Milak borders with Iran. Between January and August 2015, a total of 417,825 Afghans spontaneously returned or were deported through Torkham, Islam Qala and Milak borders. Compared with the same period in 2014, spontaneous returns through the three borders have increased by 49% (270,579 vs. 181,882), while deportations have increased by 4% (147,246 vs. 142,085). The rise in spontaneous returns can be largely attributed to the dramatic increase in returns from Pakistan through Torkham since the beginning of the year. IOM has observed a significant and unexpected increase in the return of undocumented Afghans from Pakistan through Torkham border crossing since December 2014. Spontaneous returns of undocumented Afghans from Pakistan were 24 times higher on average in January 2015 compared with December 2014, while deportations were twice as high. While the number of undocumented Afghans returning from Pakistan has decreased since the spike in January, return levels remain high, with a total of 87,811 undocumented Afghans have returning through Torkham border with Pakistan from January to August 2015. This is over three times the number of Afghans returned and deported through Torkham in all of 2014 (25,446). Potentially vulnerable returning Afghans are referred to IOM transit centers for assistance. Eligible returnees and deportees receive immediate humanitarian support including basic household supplies, food, health care, temporary accommodation and transportation to their final destination in the country. To help identify and assist the most vulnerable returning Afghans, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, IOM and partners have agreed upon 11 categories of Persons with Specific Needs (PSNs). It is estimated that between 30 and 40% of returnees and deportees at Torkham border are PSNs in need of assistance. Between January and August, IOM was able to assist 16% of returnees and deportees at Torkham border. Current assistance levels have reached up to 40%, however as return levels increase and funds diminish, this standard may be difficult to maintain. Afghan boys returning from Pakistan with their Trucks families carrying await Afghan assistance returnee at families the IOM and transit their center belongings outside IOM s Torkham Transit Centre

Guest Contribution Helping Them Help Themselves Transitioning out of displacement in Afghanistan, from networks to development aid By Nassim Majidi, Director of Migration Research, Samuel Hall In the wake of increasing returns from Pakistan and the government s stance on ending displacement, it is important to show where the displaced have agency and where they do not. Returnees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) move in groups, relying on networks for support, but that support alone will not allow them to transition out of displacement. The basis for strong social integration is present through communities; the basis for economic integration is not. The displaced increasingly choose to relocate to cities as they seek to address the job gap but within those cities, they are unable to meet their expectations. This is an opportunity to support them in their longer-term reintegration needs. Recent research by Samuel Hall for DACAAR 1 on resettlement and reintegration patterns shows that assistance is not a pull factor in the decision making process. IDPs move due to multiple triggers that are conflict related: insecurity (90%), mines (36%), and harassment from authorities (30%) that contribute to an overall climate of violence. The need to move is also economic: close to 40% mention the lack of employment opportunities in conflict-ridden areas of origin as a driver of their displacement. The longer a move is planned, the larger the impact on the choice of an urban destination. IDPs in urban areas are 2.5 times more likely to have had time to plan their leave. This planning also contributes to their willingness to locally integrate not to return. Beyond push and pull factors, the majority would prefer to stay where they are. This is the case with returnees as well: the majority would have been happy to stay had they had not been forced to return. Worsening conditions in Iran and Pakistan including lack of legal status, legal restrictions, harassment and discrimination are leading recent returns. Upon arrival in their choice of destination, after a long struggle to resettle, employment remains the biggest disappointment: 47% of returnees from Iran, 29% of returnees form Pakistan and 27% of IDPs thought it would be easier to find employment. Those in Kabul (66.5%) and Herat (50%) are at a greater employment disadvantage than those in Kandahar and Nangarhar who seem to be better informed of the local labor markets, and hence able to negotiate a stronger integration. 1 DACAAR / Samuel Hall (2015) Agency and choice among the displaced : Refugees and IDPs choice of destination upon return. http://samuelhall.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/sh-dacaar-final-version-250515.pdf

Socially, returnees and IDPs are positive about their resettlement experience. Respondents feel welcome, trust their community representatives and only few report discrimination. Social integration happens through relatives and friends. They are the main source of information about the destination area. They provide high levels of support, in 90% of cases, including accommodation. Networks are strong 75% of returnees and 66% of IDPs have a link to a network at destination. Overall, 77% of respondents say that their networks encouraged them to join, and only 2.2% were discouraged from moving by their relatives and friends. The collective matters not only in displacement but in the choice of settlement location. Where the displaced see their reintegration experience fail is on economic integration. About half lack skills and a quarter lack relevant skills adapted to their new surroundings. Lack of skills worsens with multiple displacement episodes as witnessed among 90% of returnee-idps. Employment gaps highlight: Low levels of satisfaction with employment, Low paid and insecure jobs, Seasonal availably of jobs with a high in the spring/summer at 90%, dropping to 50% employment in the autumn and 21% in the winter, and Women s exclusion from the labor market, limiting their resilience. As a result of the stalled economic integration, although households catch up relatively quickly with local standards, they do not see progress beyond minimum standards. Assets increase during the first five years of displacement and stagnate afterwards. Protracted displacement situations show the lack of improvement with time: 10 years after displacement, 37% of our sample did not own assets vs. 45% in the first five years of displacement. Improvements are slow and give rise to pockets of discontent: most striking among female returnees from Iran who find their lives detached from their expectations, as well as returnees and IDPs who were moved to land allocation sites. Social protection is needed in particular for these groups, with policies and programs to tackle their wellbeing looking at both social cohesion and economic integration. Urbanization has become a divisive topic in Afghanistan, mostly viewed as a problem to solve. Yet cities offer advantages to the displaced who are quicker to resorb their networks. Development efforts fall short of reaching the displaced in urban settings. Support to ministries and to the government is needed to ensure that the displaced are integrated in programmes targeting urban planning, job creation and social protection. Innovative methods that capitalize on networks to link the displaced with job opportunities will hold the greatest promise for reintegration. More can be done at the municipality level as well, integrating them as a new actor in the search for durable solutions. Municipal action plans can reflect a common effort by government, humanitarian and development actors. Expectations of the National IDP Policy are not being met more should be done to follow on the evidence available and to highlight the inclusion of the displaced in national priority programmes. Samuel Hall is an independent research and strategic consulting firm.

Building Afghan Government Capacity to Assist Migrants IOM recently launched a 24-month project with the overall aim of strengthening the technical capacity of the Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation in information management as well as in coordinating a reintegration referral mechanism. The project forms part of IOM s long-term strategy of transferring the responsibility of assistance for Afghan returnees from neighboring countries to the Government of Afghanistan. Funding support for the project has been generously provided by the United States Department of State s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration. In August, the Ministry launched a comprehensive database that will be used to record vital information on returnees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), and related issues, such as land allocation. The integration of a modern database system into the Ministry s structure will also assist in improving information sharing, both internally as well as between the Ministry and its partners inside and outside of Afghanistan. This database will be a vital source of information, and will ultimately help to protect the rights of returning refugees, undocumented Afghans, and IDPs, and help ensure they receive necessary humanitarian assistance and reintegration support, said IOM Afghanistan Chief of Mission Richard Danziger. IOM and the Ministry worked in close partnership to develop the database, with IOM providing the necessary hardware and software for implementation. Information tracked in the database will include the returns of documented and undocumented Afghans from Iran, Pakistan and other countries; the location and status of IDPs; and information on the allocation or construction of permanent shelters or townships for returnees, as well as livelihood opportunities. Under the project, the Ministry will also establish and coordinate a national inter-ministerial reintegration committee, and the structure will be replicated at the provincial level in nine provinces. These bodies will ensure national coordination on reintegration activities and establish a database of reintegration service providers for returnee referral. Furthermore, in the nine targeted provinces, reintegration information centres will be established to provide information, advice and referral services to Afghan returnees. The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation and IOM have been partners since 2002, providing direct assistance to vulnerable Afghan migrants and supporting efforts to enhance the Ministry s capacity to effectively and efficiently deliver services at both the headquarters and provincial levels. The Minister of Refugees and Repatriation speaks at the launch ceremony for the database

Floods used to devastate homes and crops in Syed Khel, Parwan province. This IOM-constructed flood wall will protect the lives and livelihoods of thousands of community members.

#HumanitarianHero Darwish Mashal High in the mountains of Afghanistan s remote Badakhshan province, Jerow Bala village is home to several hundred families who make a living farming the steep hillsides. On 28 April this year, life in Jerow Bala was disrupted when a deadly landslide tore through the village. The landslide destroyed all of the village s 97 houses and left 52 people dead, including 22 children. The families fled the village, now smothered in rubble and mud, and sought shelter on higher ground. Many families were living in the open. Floods earlier in the year had damaged the only roads into Jerow Bala, cutting off the families who had just lost their homes and livelihoods from the rest of Afghanistan. When Darwish Mashal, a Project Assistant for IOM s Humanitarian Assistance Program working in Badakhshan s capital Faizabad, heard the first reports about the landslide, he knew that action had to be taken immediately in order to prevent even more loss of life. Working in coordination with the Afghan government and the UN, IOM reached Jerow Bala by helicopter the day following the landslide to deliver initial aid and assess needs on the ground. Everyone there was frightened and freezing in the cold weather, recalled Darwish. It was especially hard to see the children, as they were so shocked and scared. Some looked so bad it was as if they had already died. IOM and its partners delivered tents, tarpaulins, blankets and food to help the families get through the first difficult nights, and quickly began planning for additional distributions. The remoteness of the village was a major challenge, said Darwish. There was just one small bridge that could only be crossed by one person at a time. Over the following days, IOM returned to Jerow Bala on flights carrying shelters that could withstand the harsh weather, clothing, blankets, food, cooking gas and other essentials supplies. For the first time in days, I saw people smiling when we distributed these items, despite all of the hardship they had suffered, said Darwish. A total of 237 families received assistance from IOM. Though it will take time to rebuild their homes and lives, the assistance will help to ease the burden of their displacement. Afghanistan is one of the most hazard-prone countries in south Asia, facing earthquakes, floods, droughts, landslides, sandstorms and avalanches. The UN estimates that approximately 250,000 Afghans are affected by natural disasters every year. Since 2008, IOM has been working in Afghanistan to assist natural disaster-affected and displaced populations, strengthen the disaster response capacity of the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA) and reduce risks in disaster-prone communities. Find out more about IOM s #HumanitarianHeroes at http://whd.iom.int

Experts and Donated Equipment Support Afghan Institutions In August, IOM donated vital equipment including computers and printers to the Afghan Red Crescent Society, one of numerous public and private institutions where skilled Afghans have been placed to contribute their knowledge and expertise under the Return of Qualified Afghans (RQA) programme. The RQA programme focuses on identifying and facilitating the return of Afghans living in third countries who are motivated to contribute their skills on a short- or long-term basis for the benefit of Afghanistan s reconstruction. Three decades of war have caused our experts and scholars to flee Afghanistan, said Deputy Minister of Education Asadullah Muhaqqique, speaking at an RQA event in Kabul. The situation is not easy in Afghanistan, but Afghans are still returning to help and we are very grateful for their dedication. Between 2002 and 2014, over 1,500 Afghan experts from 31 countries in the fields of medicine, education, urban planning and other key areas were placed through the RQA programme, including over 200 skilled female returnees. Returning Afghan experts have been placed in government ministries, NGOs, universities, hospitals and other institutions that benefit from their vital contributions. I had a comfortable life in the Netherlands, but I wanted to do something for Afghanistan, said Prof. Mohammed Hatemi, who returned under the RQA programme. It is a point of great pride for me.

Support for IOM Afghanistan Funding for IOM s activities in Afghanistan is provided by: Australia Central Emergency Response Fund Common Humanitarian Fund Denmark European Union Germany Japan The Netherlands Norway Romania Sweden United Kingdom UN Development Programme United States of America

International Organization for Migration (IOM) Mission in Afghanistan iomkabul@iom.int http://afghanistan.iom.int