South-West Asia

Operational Environment

Afghans remain the largest refugee population of concern to UNHCR in Asia and the Pacific region. There are more than 2.2 million Afghan refugees worldwide, the vast majority of which are hosted in the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan.  Both countries have provided protection and assistance to Afghan refugees for almost four decades. 
 
The volatile security situation in Afghanistan continues to drive displacement, with more than 200,000 people forced to flee their homes in the first eight months of 2017, adding to the estimated up to 1.8 million internally displaced people (IDPs) in Afghanistan in 2016.
 
Given the ongoing conflict in the country and its limited absorption capacity, UNHCR does not promote refugee returns to Afghanistan.  However, in accordance with its mandate, the Office assists those who choose to return.  Over 55,000 refugees have returned to Afghanistan since the beginning of 2017, of whom half are not returning to their places of origin. In 2018, UNHCR is expecting that 200,000 individuals would return to Afghanistan, mainly from Pakistan.
 
IDPs are also assisted along with returning refugees.
 
UNHCR continues to provide emergency assistance to those who are newly displaced.  UNHCR will also assist some 40,000 families to prepare for winter 2017-2018.  Protection monitoring on the ground will identify vulnerable returnees, IDPs and other Afghan population and provide individualised support – cash based interventions or referral - through the person with specific needs programme (PSN) or livelihood opportunities through community-based protection measures.
 
The Islamic Republic of Iran has taken important steps towards inclusion of the refugee populations with the introduction of a series of progressive policies to incorporate refugees into national services, especially in the areas of health and education. The Government continues to expand refugees’ access to healthcare through the Universal Public Health Insurance scheme (UPHI) supported by UNHCR.  To date some 125,701 refugees were registered in the national insurance scheme, giving them access to medical services country wide.    Following the Supreme Leader’s Decree in 2015 more than 420,000 Afghan and Iraqi children, including 72,000 undocumented children, have been enrolled in school. Implementation of the progressive policies of Iran requires substantial investments and ongoing resources, and greater responsibility sharing and support from the international community will be required to complement the already vast investments of the Government.
 
In Pakistan, the Government adopted a comprehensive policy on the voluntary repatriation and management of Afghan refugees in February 2017, extending the validity of Proof of Registration (PoR) cards until the end of 2017.  The policy foresees the adoption of a draft refugee law and  flexible visa regime for different categories of Afghans (e.g. students, mixed marriage, business, skilled and unskilled labourers).  In line with this policy, the Government also launched a six month programme in July 2017 to register undocumented Afghans.  UNHCR welcomes this initiative and is working with the government on its implementation. 
 
UNHCR will strengthen its partnerships with the World Bank to ease the pressure on the refugee hosting communities. Its loan and grant components are to support the government and communities directly and to supplement UNHCR’s ongoing activities.
 
UNHCR and its partners are also planning for the return of people who were displaced from North Waziristan in Pakistan in 2014 and remained in Afghanistan.