Afghan refugee repatriation figures prominently in latest UNHCR Global Appeal

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has asked donors for about $100 million to support its Afghan operations over the course of the next two years, IRIN reported last week, citing UNHCR Global Appeal 2008-2009.

According to the article: “The UNHCR will need over $49 million in 2008 and over $50 million in 2009 to assist 540,000 Afghan refugees who are expected to return primarily from neighboring Pakistan and Iran.”

“Insecurity and lack of land, shelter and livelihoods in Afghanistan are the main obstacles to return for refugees,” said the UNHCR Appeal, which was released on December 4.

The article said that Afghanistan’s weak institutional capacity to effectively manage returnee and internally displacement person issues is also a concern. “Despite UNHCR’s efforts, the capacity of relevant government counterparts remains limited due to the high turnover of officials both at the central and provincial levels,” said the Appeal.

As the article notes: “Over four million Afghan refugees have returned to their country from Iran and Pakistan in the past six years. About three million Afghans still live in Pakistan and over one million live in Iran, the UNHCR reported in December 2007.”

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