Voluntary Repatriation to Afghanistan 2003 UNHCR Pakistan
Voluntary Repatriation to Afghanistan 2003 UNHCR The UN Refugee Agency
When we first arrived this morning, I saw my compound and thought, Thank God I m home. I am thinking about the future and how I will rebuild my house. Will our enemies let us live in peace? Maybe they don t want us to have development, security, self sufficiency, schools or clinics. But I am not worried about the hardships. We will build a bright future. I will have to find a job because there is not enough water to irrigate. (Pai Gul, age 28, with 3 children, brother and mother. Kalgar Village, Jaji.)
All the figures shown in this report refer to Afghans registered in Pakistan by UNHCR for the Voluntary Repatriation Operation in 2003. All refugees approaching UNHCR for return assistance were verified by UNHCR to determine i) whether their intent to return is genuine and voluntary; ii) whether their family composition is genuine; and iii) whether they are being registered and processed by UNHCR for the first time. During immediate daily reporting, one Voluntary Repatriation Form (VRF) is counted as one family. This includes, however, single persons registering for return, who do not actually constitute a family. As UNHCR registered some 1,199 single persons in 2003, the total number of families returning this year is actually 61,325 as opposed to 62,524, which appears in this report. Figures shown in this report are taken from the UNHCR repatriation databases maintained in Sub Office Quetta and Peshawar, and subsequently consolidated in the central database in Islamabad. For more detailed information on any given topic please contact UNHCR Islamabad. WRITTEN BY Indrika Ratwatte, Jack Redden, Merkur Beqiri PHOTOS BY Jack Redden, Babar Baloch, UNHCR photo archive DESIGNED BY Merkur Beqiri STATISTICS BY Merkur Beqiri, Bilal Ashraf DATA SOURCE UNHCR offices in Pakistan and Afghanistan MAPS Shahzad Khan, Merkur Beqiri UNHCR PO box 1263 Diplomatic Enclave-2 Quaid-e-Azam University Road G-4, Islamabad, Pakistan United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, December 2003 www.unhcr.ch
CONTENTS MID-POINT IN THE VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION PROGRAMME 4 THE FIRST YEAR 4 THE CHALLENGE FACED IN 2003 5 REPATRIATION IN 2003 6 PROFILE OF 2003 RETURNEES 8 CAMPS VERSUS URBAN RETURNS 8 ETHNIC COMPOSITION 9 ETHNIC BREAKDOWN BY PROVINCE OF RETURN 10 AGE 11 EDUCATION 11 LAND OWNERSHIP 12 SHELTER 12 OUTLOOK FOR 2004 13
MID-POINT IN THE VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION OPERATION As 2003 ends, UNHCR is at the halfway point in its voluntary repatriation programme for Afghanistan. Under the tripartite agreement signed in March 2003 with the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the UN Refugee Agency will continue to assist Afghan refugees wishing to return from Pakistan for a further two years. The U.S.-led military intervention in Afghanistan in late 2001 had initially unleashed a new wave of refugees but its removal of the Taliban regime then cleared the way for the current mass return. The first two years of the assisted voluntary return programme have proved momentous the 1.9 million Afghans who left Pakistan were the largest repatriation of refugees anywhere in the world in the past three decades. Despite the security uncertainties hindering operations as 2004 begins, the lessons learned since the start of the programme and the trends that developed during 2003 will provide the basis for the successful continuation of the operation through 2004 and 2005. After nearly a quarter century, the end may be in sight for Afghan refugees in Pakistan. THE FIRST YEAR The 300,000 Afghans who fled to Pakistan to escape the war in their country triggered by the 11 September 2001 attacks on the United States swelled the known refugee population to more than 2.2 million. Many of the previous refugees had left their homeland as early as 1979, living in nearly 200 refugee camps or in impoverished clusters inside Pakistan s cities. To accommodate the new arrivals, UNHCR together with the Government of Pakistan (GoP) established new camps at the end of 2001 and beginning of 2002 in North West Frontier Province and Balochistan Province near the Afghan-Pakistani border. The total number of Afghans in Pakistan at the time, however, was a matter of speculation. While the GoP and UNHCR had an approximate idea of the number residing in the old refugee camps in Pakistan, the number in crowded urban areas like Peshawar, Quetta and Karachi was unknown. A proper census or registration of Afghans in Pakistan has never been conducted a project that is now under active discussion for 2004.The difficulties in estimating the number of Afghans in Pakistan both refugees and others -- continue to be considerable. Some refugees had been in urban areas since the beginning of the refugee flow from Afghanistan. Not all were concentrated in identifiable pockets but were dispersed across urban areas. Quite often they were highly mobile, moving from one urban area to another or back and forth to different refugee camps. In addition economic necessity had created the phenomenon of split families where part of a family resided in a refugee camp and part lived in an urban area to earn money to support the others. This was especially common once a large number of refugees moved from camps to urban areas after UNHCR food assistance to the camps ended in 1995. The popular desire to return to Afghanistan was immense. Although there were clear indications from the refugee community once the Taliban fell that many would go home, the number far outstripped UNHCR s prediction. At the beginning of 2002, UNHCR anticipated that some 600,000 Afghan refugees would repatriate from Pakistan during the whole year. The programme, which provided a travel grant and assistance package of food and non-food items once a refugee arrived in Afghanistan, began on 1 March 2002. UNHCR, GoP and the interim government in Afghanistan scrambled to deal with the numbers. In March alone over 128,000 refugees returned. By July over a million Re tu rn e e s in 2002 - Ye a rs sp e n t in Pa kista n Re turne e s in 2003 - Ye ars spe nt in Pakistan 20 and over 10% 15 to 19 9% after 9/11 1% 20 and over 33% after 9/11 6% 3-5 16% 10 to 14 11% 1 to 5 53% 6-9 16% 6 to 9 16% 15-19 15% 10-14 14% 4
refugees had repatriated to Afghanistan from Pakistan. By the end of 2002, when the Afghan winter halts most movement across the border, UNHCR had processed 1,565,095 refugees in Pakistan 278,000 families -- under the voluntary repatriation programme. The total returns counted at the other end by UNHCR Afghanistan, including those Afghans from Iran, Pakistan and other countries, was more than 1.8 million people. The majority of the refugees leaving Pakistan were Pashtuns who had resided in NWFP and returned to the adjacent province of Nangarhar and to Kabul. The second biggest ethnic group among returnees was Tajiks. Only 18 percent of returnees were from refugee camps; the rest were from urban areas in Pakistan. The unexpected number of returning refugees from Pakistan in 2002 created difficulties for UNHCR on both sides of the Pakistan- Afghanistan border. Logistics, human resources, the budget all had to be quickly adjusted from the original plan. Arrangements for the distribution of assistance and the composition of the aid package dispensed on arrival in Afghanistan had to be altered. UNHCR also had to take steps to improve its verification of the authenticity of returnees after detecting recycling refugees going through the repatriation process more than once in order to collect additional return assistance packages. In October 2002 UNHCR introduced for the first time in its history a pilot project of iris recognition technology as part of verification procedures. Anyone seeking assistance a second time was recognized by the iris test and refused aid. Repatriation breakdown by province of residence Sindh 12% Chaman waiting area 4% Balochistan 19% Islamabad 2% Punjab 11% THE CHALLENGE FACED IN 2003 During the low levels of repatriation from November through February, when Afghanistan is gripped by a harsh winter, analysis of the statistics from 2002 showed the depth of the problem of ascertaining the Afghan population in Pakistan. Although over 1.56 million refugees had been registered in the repatriation assistance program during 2002, both the GoP and UNHCR realized there were a huge number of Afghans still in Pakistan. The 2.2 million estimates for Afghans at the start of the repatriation programme 5 NWFP 52% had included some 500,000 thought to be residing in Pakistan s urban areas. However, the statistics compiled during the 2002 repatriation showed that 1,280,000 -- 82 percent of all returnees had come from urban areas. Clearly, the number of Afghans in Pakistan s cities had been badly underestimated. Even after 1,280,000 urban refugees repatriated in 2002, both UNHCR and GoP were aware there were still hundreds of thousands of urban refugees on top of 1,225,000 refugees estimated to reside in the camps. The signing of the tripartite agreement between UNHCR and the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan set up a tripartite commission to oversee the continuing repatriation of the Afghan refugees. The agreement also enshrined the principle of a voluntary and gradual return for refugees for a three-year period, 2003-2005, based on the belief of all parties that Afghanistan must be able to successfully absorb returnees. UNHCR offered to screen those still in Pakistan after the expiry of the Tripartite Agreement to determine who will be in continued need of protection
and refugee status. The solution to those Afghans who will not benefit from refugee status and who have not repatriated has been left for future discussions. Based on reports from the field, a survey on willingness to return that UNHCR conducted between November 2002 and January 2003, other knowledge on refugees in Pakistan accumulated over the years and the agreement of the Tripartite Commission, UNHCR made provision for helping up to 500,000 refugees to return from Pakistan to Afghanistan in 2003. REPATRIATION IN 2003 of returnees from Pakistan in 2003 was 343,074. That was less than the planning figure of 500,000, but was well above the 200,000 who had indicated in the winter survey of intentions that they expected to return in 2003. As in 2002, the majority of returnees, 68 percent, After the successful pilot testing in late 2002, UNHCR extended use of its iris recognition technology in verification procedures to all repatriation. Each returnee over the age of 12 years and then lowered in July to all over six years underwent verification. This With repatriation during January 2003 at just 2,907 individuals, UNHCR halted all repatriation assistance during February so the month could be used to train repatriation staff to be ready for rising numbers in March. However, the looming war in Iraq caused many refugees to delay their return, fearing that the conflict would trigger unrest also in Afghanistan. Only some 2,600 refugees returned in March. The delay was short-lived. Although the fighting in Iraq continued until the beginning of May, once refugees realized the war was not affecting security in Afghanistan, repatriation picked up rapidly. In April over 35,000 refugees returned and numbers peaked in June at over 75,000 returnees. The total number were Pashtuns. Most, 54 Percent, returned from NWFP and 48 percent went to Nangarhar and Kabul, the most popular provinces of return. Although UNHCR had focused attention on the refugee camps, 69 percent of all the returnees came from urban areas of Pakistan, the same pattern as the first year of repatriation. biometric technology proved a crucial deterrent against those who would abuse the system by applying for repatriation assistance more than once. Few tried to challenge the technology: only five in every thousand people taking the test were caught taking it a second time. Province of residence wise families and individuals Province Fam. Ind. In percent NWFP 32,803 184,018 52 Balochistan 11,583 65,939 19 C haman waiting are 2,358 10,757 4 Sindh 7,650 35,409 12 Punjab 6,895 39,776 11 Islamabad 1,235 7,175 2 62,524 343,074 100 6
In addition to a role in protection halting schemes where women and children were forced by relatives into hazardous trips through the mountains to repeatedly claim benefits the iris recognition test ensured that the limited UNHCR funds reached those genuinely returning. UNHCR in Pakistan will continue to use the iris technology In addition to those who UNHCR assisted back to Afghanistan, border monitors observed spontaneous returns in both 2002 and 2003. However, it is difficult to state an exact number for those who repatriated on their own since monitoring was done only at the official border crossings of Torkham and Chaman, not the numerous unofficial tracks through the mountains. UNHCR However, at the end of November a UNHCR staff member in Afghanistan was deliberately shot and killed in the city of Ghazni, the latest in a string of assaults on humanitarian workers. All repatriation from Pakistan had to be suspended because it was considered too dangerous to operate the UNHCR offices inside Afghanistan where assistance was actually handed over for refugees returning in 2004. In July 2003, the Tripartite Commission decided to close the waiting area, a desolate strip of land just inside the Pakistani border with Afghanistan in Chaman, Balochistan. Asylum seekers had been stranded there in early 2002 when Pakistan closed the border to more refugees. The 19,000 residents of the waiting area were given a choice of UNHCR relocating them to Mohammad Kheil, a refugee camp in Pakistan established for the 2001 refugees, or to Zhare Dasht, a settlement for internally displaced inside Afghanistan. The majority, 10,757, decided to repatriate to Zhare Dasht. recorded some 38,000 such spontaneous returns but in the absence of more thorough interviews it was impossible to know if they were part of repatriation or the traditional seasonal migration of the region. In contrast to 2002, when repatriation fell off sharply after August, a relatively high rate of repatriation continued in 2003 until the holy month of Ramadan began at the end of October. A number of refugee groups indicated they intended to return to Afghanistan after the Eid al Fitr feast at the end of Ramadan, despite the cold temperatures already common in Afghanistan. 7 to arriving refugees. UNHCR announced that repatriation could resume only when it was satisfied that staff would be safe. Inside Afghanistan, 2004 will be a crucial year in which there will be both threats to security and stepped up national reconstruction efforts that include new elections. But as this year ended, the continuing demand for the voluntary repatriation programme for Afghans now in Pakistan was clear. The number of Afghans still in refugee camps was estimated at about 1.1 million, while an unknown but substantial number remains in Pakistan s cities. UNHCR anticipates 400,000 to 500,000 Afghan refugees
will return to their homeland from Pakistan in 2004. PROFILE OF 2003 RETURNEES Returnees in 2003 totaled 342,945. After a slow start in March because of the uncertainties created by the war in Iraq, the number of returnees increased exponentially in April and May, reaching a monthly peak in June. Repatriation showed signs of a slow down in July and August but surprisingly continued strongly until late October. 80000 70000 60000 50000 40000 30000 20000 10000 0 We e kly re tu rn s p e r p ro vin ce in Pa kista n Punjab 39,776 Balochis tan 65,939 Sindh 35,409 NWFP 184,081 Is lamabad 7,175 Chaman Waiting Area 10,757 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep O ct Nov Individuals In contrast to 2002, returnees in 2003 were mainly refugees who had fled to Pakistan more than 10 years ago. Of those returning, 54 percent came from NWFP, 10 percent from Sindh, 14 percent from Punjab/Islamabad and 22 percent from Balochistan (including the four percent of total returnees who had been in the Chaman waiting area ). This is similar to the pattern of 2002. 2003 New Camps 3% Chaman Waiting Area 3% Old Camps 24% New Camps 3% 2002 Old Camp 15% CAMPS VERSUS URBAN RETURNS In 2003, with more focus on facilitating returns from camps, there was a rise in the proportion of those returning from refugee camps compared to those from other areas, mainly Pakistan s major cities. In 2002, 82 percent of returnees were from urban areas with only 18 percent from camps. But in 2003 returns from camps rose to 31 percent of total returns, partly reflecting a conscious effort to facilitate repatriation from these locations. But urban refugees continued to be the bulk of those returning. Individuals 80,000 70,000 60,000 50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 10,000 - Outside Camps 70% Monthly number of returnees from Pakistan 2,907-2,682 35,808 75,769 66,161 62,695 34,982 Outside Camps 82% 34,536 23,607 3,971 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep O ct Nov Months 8
ETHNIC COMPOSITION In 2003, 68 percent of returnees were Pashtuns, up from 56 percent in 2002. Meanwhile, the proportion of ethnic Tajiks fell to 20 percent from 31 percent in 2002, when large numbers moved back in the wake of the switch from a Pashtun-dominated Taliban regime to a government perceived as dominated by Tajiks. The percentage of Pashtuns among those repatriating in August and September was higher than in June and July, possibly indicating that the majority of non-pashtuns willing to repatriate have now gone. The return percentages for smaller ethnic groups such as Turkmen, Uzbeks and Hazaras remained similar to the previous year. The choice of destination reflected the traditional ethnic pattern of Afghanistan. Pashtuns made up 55 percent of returns to Kabul, 85 percent for Nangarhar, 59 percent for Kunduz and 88 percent to Ghazni. But Tajiks were 35 percent of all returns to Kabul, 48 percent to Baghlan and 38 percent to Parwan. As predicted in UNHCR s survey preceeding the 2003 repatriation season, the majority of returnees went to Kabul, Nangarhar, Ghazni, and Kunduz provinces. This trend reflected the lack of pull factors in rural Afghanistan, underscoring the need for infrastructure development and provision of basic services in these areas. Although NWFP hosts the largest number of refugees, many originated from nearby parts of Afghanistan. Those returning from NWFP made up 65 per cent of all returns to Kabul and 90 percent of those to Nangarhar and Logar provinces. In contrast, refugees returning from Karachi in Sindh Province were often from distant areas of Afghanistan. They formed over 32 percent of those returning to Kunduz Province, 30 percent of those to Baghlan, 88 percent of those to Farah and 62 percent of returnees to Badghis. 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% Ethnic composition of returnees from Pakistan in 2003 Hazara 3% Turkmen 2% Other 3% Uzbek 4% Tajik 20% Repatriation 2003 - Ethnic breakdown per month in percent 0% Jan Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov 9 months Baloch 0.30 % Pashtun 68% Other Baloch Turkmen Hazara Uzbek Tajik Pashtun
ETHNIC BREAKDOWN BY PROVINCE OF RETURN Returnees in 2003 province of return Ethnic breakdown in percent Pashtun Tajik Uzbek Hazara Turkmen Baloch Other 13 Ghor 37 Nuristan 153 262 545 749 1,019 1,047 1,296 1,377 1,410 1,563 2,990 3,254 3,832 4,076 4,784 4,944 6,161 6,184 7,829 8,602 9,424 9,682 9,791 10,068 10,366 16,223 21,808 22,224 71,528 89,076 Nimroz Bamyan Uruzgan Zabul Samangan Badghis Hirat Badakhshan Paktika Kapisa Farah Faryab Khost Wardak Takhar Sari Pul Parwan Paktya Kunar Logar Hilmand Balkh Kandahar Jawzjan Laghman Baghlan Ghazni Kunduz Nangarhar Kabul 100,0 00 10,00 0 1,000 Individuals 100 10 1 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100 % 10
AGE The age structure and the equal male-female percentages of returnees were unchanged from 2002. The age of returnees is very young, with the median age around 12 years. Some 24 percent of the returning population was below the age of five, a further 38 percent was between five and 18 years old and only 38 percent over the age of 18. EDUCATION The returnees had low levels of education. Only 26 percent of the age group 5 to 12 were attending primary education and nine percent in the age group of 13 to 18 were at secondary school in Pakistan. Of the total returnee population over the age of 13, only eight percent had completed primary education. One percent of returnees said they had completed university education with a further 0.3 percent saying they were currently at university and were returning despite the difficulty in continuing studies in Afghanistan. Age composition of returnees from Pakistan in 2003 Over 18 38% Under 5 24% 13 to 18 11% 5 to 12 27% Afghan returnees by education completed or underway Education Descrip tio n Returnees in % to to tal in % to ag e g ro u p : Bas ic Lite rary and Nume racy 6,354 2% 4% ove r 13 Primary Education - Completed 12,952 4% 8% over 13 Secondary Education - Completed 7,603 2% 6% over 18 Unive rs ity - C omple te d 1,916 1% 2% over 18 Religious (Madrasa) Education - Completed 3,933 1% 2% over 13 Primary Education - Under Way 23,445 7% 26% 5 to 12 Secondary Education - Under Way 3,382 1% 9% 13 to 18 Univers ity - Under Way 387 0% 0% over 18 Religious (Madrasa) Education - Under Way 4,216 1% 3% 5 to 18 O ther type of Education or None 207,176 62% 50% over 5 No data 60,953 18% in a total of 332,317 11
SKILLS The number of returning engineers, education and medical personnel rose in 2003, possibly reflecting an increased availability of job opportunities in Afghanistan for those with qualifications. As in 2002, the main area of return for them was Kabul and Nangarhar. However, non-skilled workers make up the vast majority of Pakistan s Afghan refugee population. LAND OWNERSHIP There was a notable increase in the portion of returning refugees who said they had access to land, rising to 45 percent of all returnees in 2003 from only 20 percent the previous year. This indicates increasing confidence among landowners that their return is economically sustainable, perhaps buoyed by the best rainfall in parts of Afghanistan in several years. Of those owning land, only three percent said they had difficulties with someone illegally occupying it. SHELTER The portion of returnees owning houses also rose in 2003, rising to 74 percent from only 45 percent the previous year. This could reflect the findings of the survey conducted before this repatriation season that showed many refugees with shelter-related problems were unwilling to repatriate, compared to those who had housing available. However, despite the high number of 2003 returnees with houses, only 29 percent of them said their homes were undamaged. 12
OUTLOOK FOR 2004 The deterioration of security in Afghanistan and the tragic killing of a UNHCR staff member in Ghazni in November has led UNHCR to suspend its operations in southern Afghanistan, which in turn has resulted in the suspension of facilitated repatriation activities from Pakistan. The critical requirement for UNHCR to continue its facilitated voluntary repatriation activities in 2004 will be the reconstruction and infrastructure development in Afghanistan. More concerted efforts to profile the refugee population in Pakistan is needed in order to address obstacles to refugee return by linking ongoing and proposed developmental activities to the repatriation process. This will be a priority in 2004. The Facilitated Group Return (FGR) approach will be further pursued in close coordination with UNHCR and its partners in the next critical chapter of Afghanistan s nation building. Should the procedures for out-of-country voting be expeditiously implemented, with the registration of voters in Pakistan, this is expected to positively impact the facilitated repatriation process. The holding of a presidential election in 2004 will also be an important confidence-building event that could pave the way for constituent assembly elections in 2005. prevalence of a secure operational environment. It is hoped that the deployment of ISAF contingents outside Kabul, the establishment of PRTs in the south and a more robust presence of Afghan security personnel in the provinces will contribute to the improvement of the general security environment in 2004. This improvement will be imperative to enable UNHCR and other actors to have access to these areas for the continuation of the essential Afghanistan. It is hoped that the strengthening of the pull factors in Afghanistan, by linking it to genuine constraints identified by potential returnees, will enhance repatriation prospects in 2004. This includes ideas such as the GoP s proposal to build a housing cluster for the south. The Constitutional Loya Jirga and its endorsement of the future constitution of Afghanistan was undoubtedly a landmark event that paves the way for 13 The GoP is expecting to conduct a nationwide census and registration of Afghans in Pakistan in 2004. This exercise should help develop a clear profile (numbers and demographics) of the Afghan population in Pakistan. UNHCR will provide technical and financial support to this exercise. The Tripartite Agreement envisages a three year window for voluntary repatriation, which ends in 2005, and as such comprehensive solutions will need to be identified for residual
refugee populations after this period. It is expected that the data gathered through the census and registration exercise will further assist this process. The Tripartite Commission has been a forum through which issues of mutual relevance have been addressed in a consultative and constructive manner and undoubtedly many solutions to the challenges in 2004 will continue to be formulated through it. In an attempt to further streamline operations, UNHCR and the GoP have agreed to consolidate some new camps (post September 2001). In 2004 the exercise would also improve conditions for refugees who would have the option of relocation to a safer, more accessible site. These consolidation efforts will also make the operations in Pakistan more cost effective. The international community and UNHCR will engage civil society actors to identify long-term solutions to Afghan migration and displacement in the region. The task of seeking durable solutions to Afghan refugees in Pakistan will remain a priority for UNHCR in 2004. For its part, the Refugee Agency will pursue this objective in close consultation and coordination with its operational partners, government interlocutors and the refugee community to ensure that a sustainable return to Afghanistan will be achieved in a safe and dignified manner. 14