Where We Work
Islamabad:
The UNHCR branch office in Islamabad manages and supervises the overall country operations with an independent field unit which remotely monitors UNHCR programmes in Punjab and Sindh provinces.
UNHCR’s 200 staff members in Islamabad, Quetta and Peshawar also care for several thousand asylum seekers and non-Afghan refugees from the region and Africa.
UNHCR maintains 54 recognised refugee villages (RVs) in the country; however, about 70 percent of registered Afghans reside urban areas. In these villages, UNHCR in collaboration with the Government of Pakistan and NGOs is providing basic community-based services like primary school education, basic health care, water and sanitation.
Since 2002, in what has become the world’s largest assisted return programme, UNHCR has been facilitating voluntary repatriation of millions of Afghan refugees from Pakistan. Ten years after program began; UNHCR has assisted 4.1million Afghans to return home.
In 2009, in recognition to Pakistan’s hospitality towards refugees, the Refugee Affected and Hosting Areas (RAHA) initiative was launched, under the joint One UN programme with an initial appeal of US$140 million over five years. Projects implemented under the RAHA initiative are designed to improve the lives of people living in locations that have been impacted by the 37-year presence of Afghan refugees in Pakistan. A total of 3500 RAHA projects have been implemented in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh.
Email PAKIS@unhcr.org
Address: Quad-i-Azam University Road,
Diplomatic Enclave, G-4,
Islamabad, Pakistan
Peshawar
UNHCR operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) are run and monitored by our office in Peshawar. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is home to around 795,958 Afghan refugees, living in 43 official refugee villages and in urban settings. Of the total, 58 percent refugees are living in host communities and 42 percent are living in refugee villages. Since 2008, UNHCR in Peshawar in close coordination with the provincial and federal authorities have assisted millions of Pakistan’s internally displaced people from FATA and the Swat Valley.
UNHCR also has a smaller field office in Kohat and a field unit in Haripur. For monitoring the cross border movements of refugees, sub-office Peshawar has assigned border monitoring staff at the Tokham-Jalalabad border crossing. Additionally, there are two voluntary repatriation centres in the province, in Chamkani, Peshawar and Azakhel, Noshwera.
Under the Refugee Affected and Hosting Areas initiative, (RAHA) more than 2100 projects have been completed in the region since 2009. UNHCR has also undertaken a number of shelter interventions in conflict affected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA for those internally displaced as well as for flood affected families. These include flood emergency transitional shelters, shelter repair kits, transitional shelters, tented shelters, one room permanent shelters, shelter roofing kits, tents, core relief items, two rooms shelters and monetarized shelter grants. Since 2010, the Agency has built some 60,261 shelters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA worth $25,464,850.
Email: PAKPE@unhcr.org
Address: House No 1, Gull Moher Lane
University Town Peshawar
Quetta
UNHCR setup its first office in Balochistan in the provincial capital Quetta in early 1980s. UNHCR has a sub-office in Quetta, three field-units, one each in the districts of Loralai, Chaghi and Chaman. The Chaman field unit monitors cross border movement, and ensures the smooth operation of UNHCR’s facilitated voluntary return programme. A voluntary repatriation centre, where refugees can register their intention to return home, is located in Baleli, near Quetta.
Balochistan is the second biggest refugee hosting province of Pakistan where UNHCR operates 10 refugee villages. Under the RAHA initiative, more than 1110 projects have been completed in Balochistan since 2009.
Email: PAKQU@unhcr.org
Address: House # 36, Block E,
Chaman Housing Society, Quetta
