Afghanistan hosts approximately 50,000 refugees and asylum seekers, including almost 30,000 children. Most refugees were displaced from Pakistan to Afghanistan in 2014 and are currently dispersed across urban and rural locations in Khost and Paktika provinces in the south-eastern region. Additionally, approximately 450 refugees and asylum seekers from various nationalities reside in urban areas in Kabul and Herat provinces. Large-scale returns to Pakistan are not anticipated in 2024, contingent upon the socio-economic situation in Afghanistan and its neighbouring countries. However, Pakistan’s new policy to deport undocumented Afghans living in Pakistan may have implications on refugees living there. Due to the shifting political context in Pakistan, as well as the status of mixed households, an estimated 50,000 refugees are expected to return to Afghanistan by July 2024.
Humanitarian Needs
Refugees and asylum seekers represent one of the most vulnerable populations in the country. Although Afghanistan acceded to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol in 2005, the draft National Law on Asylum is still under development. The lack of a legal framework to protect refugees and regulate asylum remains a challenge. Without legal status and documentation, refugees’ access to basic services and assistance is often limited. This includes enrolment of refugee children in schools, entering the formal labour market, access to house, land and property rights, and limited access to quality primary health care and nutrition.
These challenges also affect refugees in their socio-economic integration. According to the 2023 rapid household assessment conducted by UNHCR, 93 per cent of refugees and asylum seekers are unable to cover their daily expenses for food, shelter, and other necessities, with almost half reliant on assistance to fulfil their essential needs. Furthermore, the 5.9 magnitude earthquake that struck Afghanistan’s Central Region in June 2022 caused immense material damage and impacted refugee-hosting districts in Khost and Paktika provinces. Refugees and refugee returnees living in the region were affected not only by the loss of homes, but also the depletion of their productive and agricultural assets.
Response Strategy
Recognizing that needs remain high across all sectors for refugees and asylum seekers in Afghanistan, the refugee response will maintain its area-based approach in the implementation of multi-sectorial assistance activities in 2024 in coordination with relevant authorities. This will allow humanitarian partners to consider the holistic needs of refugees, but also other affected populations living in the same areas, including IDPs, refugee returnees, and vulnerable host community members. Priority areas include education, food, health, legal assistance, shelter, MHPSS, and WASH.
More than two years after the change in regime, DfA policy towards refugees and asylum seekers remains uncertain and could evolve with a change in the political scenario. In 2023, the humanitarian community continued to undertake awareness-raising and advocacy efforts to sensitise authorities at the local and national levels on international protection, as well as Afghanistan’s responsibilities and obligations under international legal frameworks. It is critical that these efforts are reinforced in 2024 in support of social cohesion and self-reliance. The Protection Cluster will ensure that the entire population group is covered through the community-based protection monitoring, which will not only identify the cross-sectoral needs amongst the population but also protection issues. UNHCR and WFP continue to discuss the emergency food needs of the refugee population. The response is transitioning from status to needs-based assistance, in line with the area-based approach and in an endeavour to strengthen social cohesion and coexistence between host and displaced populations. This will be done in conjunction with support for livelihoods.
Operational Capacity
Following the DfA bans on women working from I/NGOs and the UN, the role of women aid workers is critical in the delivery of humanitarian assistance and other protection interventions to refugees, refugee returnees, and other vulnerable populations. Furthermore, the lack of a legal status for refugees and asylum seekers remains a challenge in the promotion of their inclusion into existing programmes. Any support towards this population will require the application of an area-based approach.
Inclusive and Quality Programming
The refugee response strategy will include the application of different approaches, such as accountability to affected people; centrality of protection; age, gender and diversity; and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse. This will be achieved by ensuring a broad participation of communities in all aspects of the design, implementation, and monitoring of programmes through protection monitoring; complaint and feedback mechanisms; and community engagement initiatives. In 2024, the Awaaz toll-free number, as well as UNHCR helplines and protection mailbox, will continue to be widely shared during monitoring and distribution activities. Additionally, the operation will use artificial intelligence to generate and analyse qualitative data from the protection monitoring systems to improve programming and response. Gender-sensitive mechanisms will also support initiatives to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse, by allowing individuals to lodge complaints and allegations in a safe and confidential manner. This will be further enhanced by continuous PSEA awareness-raising and information dissemination campaigns. The UNHCR community outreach volunteer programme will ensure the humanitarian response factors in the unique needs of different people within the response by engaging directly with affected populations.
Cost of Response
The total cost of the multi-sector response to refugees in Afghanistan is $15 million. This includes $4 million for WASH and shelter initiatives, $1 million for education, $700,000 for livelihood assistance, $4.5 million for protection and $4.8 million for food assistance. For Afghan refugee returnees, the multi-sector response is $27 million USD.