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2015 UNHCR country operations profile - Pakistan

| Overview |

Working environment

UNHCR 2015 Pakistan country operations map

  • Pakistan hosts almost 1.5 million registered Afghan refugees - still the largest protracted refugee population globally. Since 2002, UNHCR has facilitated the return of 3.8 million registered Afghans from Pakistan.

  • Efforts to address the needs of Afghan refugees and their host communities, and to advance durable solutions, are undertaken within the framework of the regional Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR), the tripartite agreement on voluntary repatriation, and the Government of Pakistan's national policy on Afghan refugees.

  • To complement UNHCR and partners' international support, the Government of Pakistan has extended Afghan refugees' Proof of Registration (PoR) cards until the end of 2015, issued birth certificates for 800,000 Afghan refugee children, provided land for several refugee villages, and given refugees access to public schools and health clinics.

  • In August 2014, there were 714,548 registered internally displaced people (IDPs) in need of humanitarian assistance due to the ongoing security operations in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The North Waziristan emergency has further displaced approximately 500,000 people.

  • The operating environment for humanitarian actors in Pakistan remains volatile, with fragile security, as well as access, social and economic challenges likely to affect humanitarian operations. In order to improve outreach to populations of concern and to build local capacity, UNHCR works closely with local partners and government counterparts.

People of concern

The main groups of people of concern planned for in 2015 under the Pakistan operation include: Afghan refugees, of whom approximately one-third live in refugee villages, and two-thirds in urban and rural host communities; some 7,000 asylum-seekers and individually-recognized refugees from various countries (mostly Afghans), living mainly in urban areas; IDPs, including those relocated by military operations and ethnic/religious conflicts in FATA, and, since the beginning of military operations in June 2014, IDPs from North Waziristan; and three groups presumed to be stateless or at risk of statelessness in Pakistan, namely Bengalis and Biharis, as well as Rohingyas from Myanmar.

UNHCR 2015 planning figures for Pakistan
Type of population Origin January 2015 December 2015
Total in country Of whom assisted
by UNHCR
Total in country Of whom assisted
by UNHCR
Total 2,311,750 2,311,750 2,352,080 2,352,080
Refugees Afghanistan 1,468,250 1,468,250 1,478,030 1,478,030
Iraq 60 60 80 80
Somalia 400 400 500 500
Various 140 140 180 180
Asylum-seekers Afghanistan 5,290 5,290 6,270 6,270
Islamic Rep. of Iran 20 20 30 30
Somalia 50 50 60 60
Various 40 40 40 40
Internally displaced Pakistan 566,900 566,900 590,900 590,900
Returnee arrivals during year (ex-IDPs) Pakistan 270,600 270,600 276,000 276,000

| Response |

Needs and strategies

UNHCR's activities in Pakistan take place within a complex context, facing serious challenges as a result of the frequency of conflict and emergencies.

In 2015, UNHCR will support the Government in the implementation of the regional SSAR through the country-specific portfolio of projects developed in 2014, advance efforts to mobilize resources for prioritized activities, and assist in implementing the national policy on Afghan refugees, achieving the potential for durable solutions (voluntary repatriation and resettlement). Through the Refugee Affected and Hosting Areas (RAHA) initiative, which is an integral component of the in-country implementation of the SSAR, UNHCR will enhance asylum space and support both host communities and refugees.

Resettlement will be used strategically to protect refugees at risk. From UNHCR's perspective, increased resettlement is also important to preserve asylum space in Pakistan.

The organization will continue promoting a favourable protection environment for Afghan refugees. It will advocate Pakistan's accession to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its adoption of national refugee legislation drafted in 2013. UNHCR will also advocate the extension of Afghan refugees' legal status and corresponding PoR cards beyond December 2015.

For asylum-seekers and individually-recognized refugees, UNHCR will continue to conduct registration and mandate refugee status determination, to ensure access to asylum in the absence of government procedures, and to support resettlement.

A five-year transition strategy will gradually consolidate and prioritize UNHCR's assistance to the most vulnerable Afghan refugees in coordination with the Government through various models of health-service delivery.

Support for IDPs includes maintaining IDP camps and protecting their rights including by supporting the Government's registration processes, legal aid/civil documentation support, and monitoring. UNHCR will encourage the Government to adopt an IDP policy that conforms to international standards. UNHCR will continue to lead humanitarian efforts focused on protection, shelter and camp coordination/camp management during the complex emergency as part of a UN inter-agency response.

Based on a statelessness study conducted in 2014, UNHCR will, with relevant government counterparts, identify possible solutions and ensure that concerned populations can exercise their basic human rights and access services.

| Implementation |

Coordination

Close coordination and interaction with key government counterparts, at federal and provincial levels, will be enhanced. This includes engagement with: the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions, the Chief Commissioner for Afghan Refugees (CCAR), the National Database and Registration Authority, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, the Commissionerates for Afghan Refugees (CARs), the Provincial Disaster Management Authorities, the FATA Disaster Management Authority and relevant line ministries.

UNHCR will build synergies with other stakeholders in: the care and maintenance assistance provided to refugees by national programmes, the RAHA initiative, and the wider involvement of One-UN interventions. The organization will continue promoting the SSAR as an enabling, multilateral platform for building consensus, strengthening existing partnerships and engaging new actors. UNHCR will encourage UNICEF, UNFPA, WHO, the Government and other operational partners to explore further possibilities for joint interventions.

2015 UNHCR partners in Pakistan
Implementing partners
Government agencies: Afghan Refugees and Repatriation Cell (Karachi); FATA Disaster Management Authority; Government of Pakistan - CAR Balochistan; Government of Pakistan - CCAR, Islamabad; Government of Pakistan - CAR Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Government of Pakistan - CAR Punjab; Khyber Teaching Hospital; Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, Refugee Attaché Office Peshawar; Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, Refugee Attaché Office of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, National Database and Registration Authority, Government of Pakistan; Provincial Disaster Management Authority
NGOs: ACTED; Al Falah Development Foundation; Alisei - Italy; American Refugee Committee; Awaz Welfare Organization; Azat Foundation; Balochistan Rural Development and Research Society; Basic Education and Employable Skills Training; Basic Education for Afghan Refugees; Catholic Relief Services, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops - USA; Centre of Excellence for Rural Development; Church World Service - USA; Council for Community Development; Courage Development Foundation; Danish Refugee Council; Dost Welfare Foundation; Drugs and Narcotics Educational Services for Humanity; Education, Health, Social Awareness and Rehabilitation; EHSAR foundation; Foundation for Rural Development; Gender and Reproductive Health Organization; Helping Organization for People's Empowerment; Hujra Village Support Organization; Human Development Organization Doaba; Initiative for Development and Empowerment Axis; Innovative Development Organization; Inspire Pakistan; International Catholic Migration Commission; International Rescue Committee - USA; Legend Society; Muslim Aid; National Integrated Development Association - Pakistan; Naveed Khan Foundation; Norwegian Refugee Council; Organization for Community Services and Development; Pakistan Community Development Programme; Regional Institute of Policy Research and Training; Salik Development Foundation; Sarhad Rural Support Programme; Save the Children Federation; Society for Community Support to Primary Education; Society for Empowering Human Resources; Society for Humanitarian Assistance, Research, Empowerment and Development; Society for Humanitarian Rights and Prisoners ; Socio Pakistan; Struggle for Change - Pakistan; Tamer-e-Khalq Foundation, Taraqee Foundation - Pakistan; Frontier Primary Health Care - Pakistan; Union Aid for Afghan Refugees - Pakistan; Water, Environment and Sanitation Society - Pakistan; Women Empowerment Organization
Others: UNOPS
Operational partners
Government agencies: Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Human Rights, Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Social Welfare, Ministry of States and Frontier Regions
NGOs: Norwegian Refugee Council
Others: FAO, ICRC, ILO, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UN HABITAT, UNICEF, UNV, UN WOMEN, WFP, WHO

| Financial information |

In 2015, the comprehensive needs for the Pakistan operation are estimated at USD 137.1 million - USD 10.4 million less than the 2014 revised budget. Of the 2015 budget, USD 58.8 million is allocated for the refugee programme, USD 28.4 million for the protection and assistance of conflict IDPs, and USD 49.6 million for development projects aimed at the peaceful coexistence of refugees and host communities. The recent IDP influx from North Waziristan (June 2014) has led to the establishment of a supplementary budget of USD 16.2 million for 2014.

Source: UNHCR Global Appeal 2015 Update


UNHCR contact information

The UNHCR Representative in Pakistan
Style of Address The UNHCR Representative in Pakistan
Street Address No.2 Diplomatic Enclave, QUAID-E-AZAM, University Road, Sector G-4, Islamabad, Pakistan
Mailing Address P.O. Box 1263, Islamabad, Pakistan
Telephone 41 22 739 7514
Facsimile 41 22 739 7515
Website WWW.UNHCR.ORG.PK
Email PAKIS@UNHCR.ORG
Time Zone GMT + 5
Working Hours
Monday:8:00 - 16:30
Tuesday:8:00 - 16:30
Wednesday:8:00 - 16:30
Thursday:8:00 - 16:30
Friday:
Saturday:
Sunday:
Public Holidays 01 January 2015, New Year
23 March 2015, Pakistan Day
20 July 2015, Eid Al-Fitr
21 July 2015, Eid Al-Fitr
14 August 2015, Independence Day
24 September 2015, Eid Al-Adha
25 September 2015, Eid Al-Adha
23 October 2015, Ashura
24 December 2015, Eid Milad-un-Nabi
25 December 2015, Christmas
UNHCR Sub Office in Quetta
Style of Address The Head of UNHCR Sub Office in Quetta
Street Address House No.36-E, chaman Housing Scheme, Airport Road, Quetta, Pakistan
Mailing Address P.O. Box 30, Quetta, Pakistan
Telephone 41 22 739 7518
Facsimile 41 22 739 7519
Email pakqu@unhcr.org
Time Zone GMT + 5
Working Hours
Monday:8:00 - 16:30
Tuesday:8:00 - 16:30
Wednesday:8:00 - 16:30
Thursday:8:00 - 16:30
Friday:
Saturday:
Sunday:
Public Holidays 01 January 2015, New Year
23 March 2015, Pakistan Day
20 July 2015, Eid Al-Fitr
21 July 2015, Eid Al-Fitr
14 August 2015, Independence Day
24 September 2015, Eid Al-Adha
25 September 2015, Eid Al-Adha
23 October 2015, Ashura
24 December 2015, Eid Milad-un-Nabi
25 December 2015, Christmas
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Statistical Snapshot*
* As at December 2014
  1. Country or territory of asylum or residence.
  2. Persons recognized as refugees under the 1951 UN Convention/1967 Protocol, the 1969 OAU Convention, in accordance with the UNHCR Statute, persons granted a complementary form of protection and those granted temporary protection. It also includes persons in a refugee-like situation for whom refugee status has, for practical or other reasons, not been ascertained. In the absence of Government figures, UNHCR has estimated the refugee population in many industrialized countries based on 10 years of individual asylum-seeker recognition.
  3. Persons whose applications for asylum or refugee status are pending at the end of 2014 at any stage in the asylum procedure.
  4. Refugees who have returned to their place of origin during 2014. Source: country of origin and asylum.
  5. Persons who are displaced within their country and to whom UNHCR extends protection and assistance. It also includes people in IDP-like situations. This category is descriptive in nature and includes groups of persons who are inside their country of nationality or habitual residence and who face protection risks similar to those of IDPs but who, for practical or other reasons, could not be reported as such.
  6. IDPs protected/assisted by UNHCR who have returned to their place of origin during 2014.
  7. Refers to persons who are not considered as nationals by any State under the operation of its law. This category refers to persons who fall under the agency's statelessness mandate because they are stateless according to this international definition, but data from some countries may also include persons with undetermined nationality.
  8. Refers to individuals who do not necessarily fall directly into any of the other groups but to whom UNHCR may extend its protection and/or assistance services. These activities might be based on humanitarian or other special grounds.
The data are generally provided by Governments, based on their own definitions and methods of data collection.
A dash (-) indicates that the value is zero, not available or not applicable.

Source: UNHCR/Governments.
Compiled by: UNHCR, FICSS.
Residing in Pakistan [1]
Refugees [2] 1,505,525
Asylum Seekers [3] 5,527
Returned Refugees [4] 1
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) [5] 1,375,904
Returned IDPs [6] 75,825
Stateless Persons [7] 0
Various [8] 0
Total Population of Concern 2,962,782
Originating from Pakistan [1]
Refugees [2] 335,915
Asylum Seekers [3] 44,427
Returned Refugees [4] 1
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) [5] 1,375,904
Returned IDPs [6] 75,825
Various [8] 2
Total Population of Concern 1,832,074
Government Contributions to UNHCR
Contributions since 2000
YearUSD
2014 0
2013 0
2012 0
2011 0
2010 0
2009 0
2008 0
2007
More info 6,028,856
Total contribution in USD: 6,028,856 (rank: 21)
Total contribution in currency: 363,400,000 (PKR)
Unrestricted contribution (USD): -
Donor ranking per GDP: 13
Donor ranking per capita: 35
2006 5,448
2005 0
2004 0
2003 0
2002 0
2001 0
2000 0
Private Sector Contributions to UNHCR
Contributions since 2006
YearUSD
2014 0
2013 0
2012 16
2011 65,562
2010 0
2009 0
2008 0
2007 0
2006 0

Pakistan UNHCR Fundraising Reports Rss FeedUNHCR Fundraising Reports

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Pakistan UNHCR Partner Directory Rss FeedUNHCR Partner Directory

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Pakistan Earthquake: A Race Against the Weather

With winter fast approaching and well over a million people reported homeless in quake-stricken Pakistan, UNHCR and its partners are speeding up the delivery and distribution of hundreds of tonnes of tents, blankets and other relief supplies from around the world.

In all, the NATO-UNHCR airlift, which began on 19 October, will deliver a total of 860 tonnes of supplies from our stockpiles in Iskenderun, Turkey. Separately, by 25 October, UNHCR-chartered aircraft had so far delivered 14 planeloads of supplies to Pakistan from the agency's stocks in Copenhagen, Dubai and Jordan.

On the ground, UNHCR is continuing to distribute aid supplies in the affected areas to help meet some of the massive needs of an estimated 3 million people.

Pakistan Earthquake: A Race Against the Weather

Pakistan: Fleeing to Safety

More than 1.5 million people flee their homes in North-West Pakistan.

Fighting between the army and Taliban militants in and around the Swat Valley in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province has displaced more than 1.5 million people since the beginning of May. Some of the displaced are being sheltered in camps set up by the government and supplied by UNHCR. Others - the majority, in fact - are staying in public buildings, such as schools, or with friends and extended family members. Living conditions are harsh. With the onset of summer, rising temperatures are contributing to a range of ailments, especially for villagers from Swat accustomed to a cooler climate. Pakistan's displacement crisis has triggered an outpouring of generosity at home. UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres is urging a "massive" assistance effort from abroad as well.

Pakistan: Fleeing to Safety

Pakistan: Finding Refuge

Pakistani civilians continue to stream out of the region around the Swat Valley to find shelter in Mardana

More than 2 million people, according to local authorities, have been forced from their homes following Pakistani efforts to drive militants out of the region around north-west Pakistan's Swat Valley. Some 200,000 are living in camps set up by the Pakistani government and supplied by UNHCR and other agencies. The remainder are staying in schools or other communal buildings or being hosted by families. The heat is intense, reaching 45 degrees Celsius, and many of the displaced are suffering from heat-related infections and water-borne illnesses, although conditions are improving. UNHCR is providing tents, cooking sets, plastic sheeting and jerry cans, among other aid items. Award-winning photographer Alixandra Fazzina has spent the last two weeks documenting the plight of the internally displaced, from their arrival in safe areas, to the camps, schools and homes in which they now find themselves.

Pakistan: Finding Refuge

Pakistan Earthquake

The UN refugee agency is providing hundreds of tonnes of urgently needed relief supplies for victims in northern Pakistan. UNHCR is sending family tents, hospital tents, plastic sheeting, mattresses, kitchen sets, blankets and other items from its global stockpiles. Within a few days of the earthquake, just as its substantial local stocks were all but exhausted, UNHCR began a series of major airlifts from its warehouses around the world, including those in Denmark, Dubai, Jordan and Turkey.

UNHCR does not normally respond to natural disasters, but it quickly joined the UN humanitarian effort because of the sheer scale of the destruction, because the quake affected thousands of Afghan refugees, and because the agency has been operational in Pakistan for more than two decades. North West Frontier Province (NWFP), one of the regions most severely affected by the quake, hosts 887,000 Afghan refugees in camps.

While refugees remain the main focus of UNHCR's concern, the agency is integrated into the coordinated UN emergency response to help quake victims.

Pakistan Earthquake

Photo Essay: Documenting the floods in Pakistan

Photojournalist Alixandra Fazzina, winner of UNHCR's Nansen Refugee Award among other commendations, is on the ground in Pakistan.

Photo Essay: Documenting the floods in Pakistan

2010 Pakistan flood emergency

Torrential rains and flash floods have affected around a million people in parts of southwest and northwestern Pakistan. More than one thousand people lost their lives when water inundated their homes in the past week. Though monsoon rains are nothing new for Pakistanis, it rained more than expected, washing away homes, roads and other basic infrastructure, creating the worst flood disaster in the country's history. UNHCR launched a relief response to support the authorities to help people affected by the flood. The local relief authorities in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces have started distribution of UNHCR-provided tents and other relief items. More relief items are on the way.

2010 Pakistan flood emergency

UNHCR helps tens of thousands in north-west Pakistan

In north-west Pakistan, UNHCR is working with the government and other UN agencies to assist tens of thousands of people who have left their homes due to a security operation against insurgent groups. Since the military push began in January, more than one hundred thousand residents of the Khyber Agency, which is in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas bordering Afghanistan, have fled the conflict zone. Since mid-March there has been a surge of people arriving at the Jalozai camp, near the city of Peshawar. At Jalozai, Khyber residents are registered and provided with humanitarian supplies and food aid. Though most opt to stay with friends and relatives in nearby towns and cities, those without resources are provided with a tent in a newly-created settlement in Jalozai.

UNHCR helps tens of thousands in north-west Pakistan

Helping Flood Victims in Pakistan

UNHCR teams are distributing tents and other emergency aid to families displaced by severe flooding in Pakistan. More than five million people have been affected by this year's floods and government estimates put the number of families in urgent need of emergency shelter at over 200,000.

In southern Sindh province, which has been particularly hard hit, UNHCR has so far delivered 2,000 tents and 2,000 kits containing jerry cans, blankets and sleeping mats as well as 4,000 plastic sheets to be used for basic shelter. Many of the families displaced by the floods continue to live in makeshift shelters.

Helping Flood Victims in Pakistan

UNHCR providing shelter to Pakistan flood victims

The UN refugee agency is stepping up its efforts to distribute tents and other emergency supplies to families left homeless by severe flooding that hit parts of southern Pakistan in 2011. By early October, some 7,000 family tents had been provided to a national aid organization that is constructing small tent villages in southern Sindh province. A similar number of emergency household kits have also been supplied. Though the monsoon rains which caused the flooding have stopped, large areas remain under water and finding sufficient areas of dry land on which to pitch the tents remains a challenge. UNHCR has committed to providing 70,000 tents and relief kits to flood-stricken communities.

UNHCR providing shelter to Pakistan flood victims

Return to Swat Valley

Thousands of displaced Pakistanis board buses and trucks to return home, but many remain in camps for fear of being displaced again.

Thousands of families displaced by violence in north-west Pakistan's Swat Valley and surrounding areas are returning home under a government-sponsored repatriation programme. Most cited positive reports about the security situation in their home areas as well as the unbearable heat in the camps as key factors behind their decision to return. At the same time, many people are not yet ready to go back home. They worry about their safety and the lack of access to basic services and food back in Swat. Others, whose homes were destroyed during the conflict, are worried about finding accommodation. UNHCR continues to monitor people's willingness to return home while advocating for returns to take place in safety and dignity. The UN refugee agency will provide support for the transport of vulnerable people wishing to return, and continue to distribute relief items to the displaced while assessing the emergency shelter needs of returnees. More than 2 million people have been displaced since early May in north-west Pakistan. Some 260,000 found shelter in camps, but the vast majority have been staying with host families or in rented homes or school buildings.

Return to Swat Valley

Pakistan Earthquake: Braving the Winter Cold

December 2005 – January 2006

Winter in northern Pakistan has not been as harsh as many feared, but earthquake survivors are still experiencing dangerously low temperatures, along with snow, heavy rain and landslides.

To help people survive the tough conditions, UNHCR has distributed blankets, plastic sheeting, tents and stoves. Vulnerable children in Danna village, north of Muzaffarabad city, have received warm clothing. In camps in North West Frontier Province (NWFP), communal, heated tents have been set up, while in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where there is not enough space for communal tents, stoves are being distributed to individual families. UNHCR staff are training camp residents on the safe use of stoves and reducing fire hazards. Finally, UNHCR partners are registering people displaced by earthquake, gathering information vital for both the provision of aid to survivors now and the reconstruction that will come later.

UNHCR is responsible for supporting the Pakistan authorities in some 160 relief camps housing nearly 140,000 people left homeless by the October 8th quake.

Pakistan Earthquake: Braving the Winter Cold

Pakistan Earthquake: Major push to Bring in Aid before Winter

With the snow line dropping daily, the race to get relief supplies into remote mountain areas of Pakistani-administered Kashmir intensifies. In a major push to bring aid to the people in the Leepa Valley, heavy-lift Chinook helicopters from the British Royal Air force airlifted in 240 tonnes of UNHCR emergency supplies, including tents, plastic sheeting, stoves, and kitchen sets.

At lower elevations, UNHCR and its partners have dispatched emergency teams to camps to train members of the Pakistani military in site planning, camp management, winterization and the importance of water and sanitation – all crucial to containing disease during the long winter ahead.

By mid-November, UNHCR had provided a total of 19,356 tents, 152,325 blankets, 71,395 plastic sheets and tens of thousands of jerry cans, kitchen sets and other supplies. More of the agency's supplies are continuing to arrive in Pakistan on various airlifts, including a 103-flight joint NATO/UNHCR airlift from Turkey. Other UNHCR airlifts have brought in supplies from the agency's warehouses in Jordan, Dubai and Denmark.

Pakistan Earthquake: Major push to Bring in Aid before Winter

Pakistan Earthquake: The Initial Response

The UN refugee agency is providing hundreds of tonnes of urgently needed relief supplies for victims in northern Pakistan. UNHCR is sending family tents, hospital tents, plastic sheeting, mattresses, kitchen sets, blankets and other items from its global stockpiles. Within a few days of the earthquake, just as its substantial local stocks were all but exhausted, UNHCR began a series of major airlifts from its warehouses around the world, including those in Denmark, Dubai, Jordan and Turkey.

UNHCR does not normally respond to natural disasters, but it quickly joined the UN humanitarian effort because of the sheer scale of the destruction, because the quake affected thousands of Afghan refugees, and because the agency has been operational in Pakistan for more than two decades. North West Frontier Province (NWFP), one of the regions most severely affected by the quake, hosts 887,000 Afghan refugees in camps.

While refugees remain the main focus of UNHCR's concern, the agency is integrated into the coordinated UN emergency response to help quake victims.

Pakistan Earthquake: The Initial Response

UNHCR's Nansen Refugee Award 2015

Aqeela Asifi, an Afghan refugee living in Pakistan, has been named the 2015 winner of UNHCR's Nansen Refugee Award. Asifi has dedicated her adult life to educating refugee girls. Despite minimal resources and significant cultural challenges, hundreds of girls have now passed through her school, equipped with life-long skills and brighter hopes for their futures.

Asifi fled from Kabul in 1992 with her young family. They found refuge in the desolate Kot Chandana refugee village in the south-eastern Punjab province of Pakistan. Adjusting from life in a capital city and working as a teacher, to living in a dusty refugee village was difficult. She was especially struck by the total absence of schools for girls.

It took time but eventually Asifi was allowed to start a small school under a tent. Over the years the school expanded and received the hard-won backing of community elders. Asifi's dedication has helped guide more than 1,000 girls through to the eighth grade and encouraged more schools to open in the village. Another 1,500 young people (900 girls, 650 boys) are enrolled in six schools throughout the refugee village today.

UNHCR's Nansen Refugee Award 2015

Pakistan: Returning HomePlay video

Pakistan: Returning Home

Since the beginning of November, UNHCR has been offering an enhanced package to every registered refugee in Pakistan choosing to go home to Afghanistan.
Pakistan: Helping the HostsPlay video

Pakistan: Helping the Hosts

Tens of thousands of Afghan refugees in Pakistan's Balochistan province have access to schools and basic services, but the cost is not easy to bear.
Pakistan: Pushed to SafetyPlay video

Pakistan: Pushed to Safety

Thousands are forced to flee the fighting in Pakistan's Khyber Agency on the border with Afghanistan.
Pakistan: Flood Relief Play video

Pakistan: Flood Relief

Floods in Pakistan have ruined crops and destroyed homes. The rains have ended but displaced people will need help for weeks or months to come.
Pakistan: The Floods Return Play video

Pakistan: The Floods Return

Flooding has returned to Pakistan, forcing people to flee their homes for the second year in a row. A year after his wife died in floodwaters, Obhayo Babar is on the move again.
Pakistan:  One Year after the FloodsPlay video

Pakistan: One Year after the Floods

A year after the most devastating floods in Pakistan's history, life is still not back to normal for some people in the picturesque Swat Valley.
Pakistan: Boat PeoplePlay video

Pakistan: Boat People

Members of the small Jam community lived for decades on riverboats in Pakistan's Punjab province. When their lives were disrupted by floods, UNHCR stepped in to help the forgotten people.
Pakistan: Isolated and Displaced in Mohmand Play video

Pakistan: Isolated and Displaced in Mohmand

In Pakistan's rugged Mohmand Agency, more than 2,000 forcibly displaced families live in a camp built by UNHCR. Bahadur Khan and his family arrived here after their village was hit by mortars.
Pakistan: Coming back to LifePlay video

Pakistan: Coming back to Life

Six months ago, floodwaters hit Pakistan's Balochistan province and caused widespread devastation in eastern areas. Today, most people have returned to their home areas and are rebuilding.
Pakistan: The Flood AftermathPlay video

Pakistan: The Flood Aftermath

Three months after floods devastated Pakistan, hundreds of thousands of people in Sindh province are still struggling to cope. UNHCR is helping many of them.
Pakistan: One Farmer's PlightPlay video

Pakistan: One Farmer's Plight

Floodwaters have destroyed the crops of tens of thousands of Pakistani farmers. This is one man's story.
Pakistan: Rafts to the RescuePlay video

Pakistan: Rafts to the Rescue

Desperate times call for desperate measures. UNHCR and a local partner use rafts to carry aid across a swollen river to needy communities.
Angelina Jolie's Pakistan VisitPlay video

Angelina Jolie's Pakistan Visit

UNHCR's Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie visits Pakistan in support of the millions affected by the flooding in Pakistan.
Pakistan floods French subtitlesPlay video

Pakistan floods French subtitles

French subtitles
Angelina Jolie's Pakistan AppealPlay video

Angelina Jolie's Pakistan Appeal

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador calls for more public support for the victims of Pakistan's devastating floods.
Pakistan's Water BabiesPlay video

Pakistan's Water Babies

Almost 900,000 flood-displaced Pakistanis have sought shelter in camps or spontaneous settlements in Sindh province. The birth of two babies swells their number.
Pakistan: Searching for a safer placePlay video

Pakistan: Searching for a safer place

The rising waters of Pakistan's Sindh River force 1 million people to search for safety.
Pakistan: Getting ShelterPlay video

Pakistan: Getting Shelter

Tents are set up to help with the influx of displaced people.
Pakistan: Picking up the piecesPlay video

Pakistan: Picking up the pieces

Families return to their homes to assess what's left after the flood.
Pakistan: Tide of DestructionPlay video

Pakistan: Tide of Destruction

In two refugee villages near Peshawar, floods destroy family homes and damage a UNHCR warehouse.
Pakistan: FloodsPlay video

Pakistan: Floods

Millions are displaced by the worst floods and landslides northwest Pakistan has seen in decades.
Pakistan's DevastationPlay video

Pakistan's Devastation

Survivors assess the destruction left behind by the floods in Pakistan.
Pakistan: The most vulnerablePlay video

Pakistan: The most vulnerable

A year after the massive population exodus in north-west Pakistan more than 1 million people have returned home. Yet many are still traumatized. A series of welfare centres offers some hope.
Displacement in Pakistan: One year later. Play video

Displacement in Pakistan: One year later.

One year after the exodus from the Swat Valley and surrounding areas in northern Pakistan, more than 1 million people have returned home. UNHCR is trying help them resume a normal life.
Pakistan: Preparing for WinterPlay video

Pakistan: Preparing for Winter

Winter is fast approaching in north-west Pakistan. UNHCR is handing out winterization kits to help the more than 100,000 people who live in displaced camps in the North West Frontier Province to cope with the sub-zero temperatures.
Pakistan: Reluctant to returnPlay video

Pakistan: Reluctant to return

Pakistan has announced that the more than 2 million people who had fled recent fighting between government and militants could now return home. Even though most say they want to go back- many still fear a relapse of the violence. UNHCR wants to make sure any return is voluntary.
Pakistan: First ReturnsPlay video

Pakistan: First Returns

An operation to help some of the more than 2 million conflict-displaced Pakistani civilians return home is under way, with hundreds of residents of Jalozai camp in North West Frontier Province the first to go back. UNHCR is monitoring the government operation to make sure the returns are voluntary.
UNHCR staff speak about emergency in PakistanPlay video

UNHCR staff speak about emergency in Pakistan

The current crisis in Pakistan has displaced more than 2 million people and pushed humanitarian workers to the limit. The UNHCR emergency coordinator discusses the challenges.
Pakistan: Swat Valley EmergencyPlay video

Pakistan: Swat Valley Emergency

UNHCR has launched an empergency operation to help some 2 million Pakistanis displaced in north-west Swat Valley
Angelina Jolie In PakistanPlay video

Angelina Jolie In Pakistan

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie visits Afghan families at brick kilns