Partnerships

Which partnerships have been strengthened or have been made possible thanks to the implementation of the Global Compact of Refugees?

In 2012, the Islamic Republics of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan, with the support of UNHCR, developed the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees to Support Voluntary Repatriation, Sustainable Reintegration and Assistance to Host Countries (SSAR). The SSAR focuses on three inter-related pillars:

1. Creating conditions conducive to facilitating voluntary repatriation through community-based initiatives in areas of high return in Afghanistan;
2. Building Afghan refugee capital in host countries based on livelihood opportunities in Afghanistan to enable sustainable reintegration; and
3. Preserving protection space in host countries, including enhanced support for communities hosting refugees.

The Strategy has served as an enabling multilateral platform for consensus-building, strengthening existing partnerships and engaging new actors. More than 60 government agencies, humanitarian and development actors, UN agencies and NGOs, have been engaged in its implementation. The synergies created through this multi-stakeholder approach help to ensure complementarity of responses, avoid duplication of efforts and maximize outputs.

The SSAR is owned and driven by the three Governments in the region. Partnership and collaboration between the Governments, including through the SSAR Quadripartite Steering Committee, are central to advancing regional solutions dialogue and coordination of all aspects of the SSAR.

The Strategy is aligned with the national priorities and policies of the three Governments and seeks to mobilize resources and political support for their implementation. It acknowledges that refugee protection and solutions are a collective responsibility of the international community and require a commitment to address root causes of displacement and more equitable responsibility-sharing with host countries, particularly in support of their inclusive policies and resilience-building measures (i.e. access to education, healthcare, vocational training, employment, and income generation schemes) that benefit both refugees and host communities through investments in national and local systems. This is a holistic, cross-border and solutions-oriented approach that helps to support host communities, empower refugees and returnees by building their capacity for self-reliance, and allows for a more strategic use of donor resources. Enhanced cost-effectiveness is particularly crucial in the current context of growing needs and competing refugee situations globally. A dedicated SSAR Joint Resource Mobilization Strategy and the well-established country-level Friends of Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (FOSSAR) networks provide important platforms for outreach, consultations and advocacy with traditional and non-traditional donors and partners, coupled with arrangements to enhance operational coordination.

Steps towards meeting the objectives of the Compact

Here’s a summary of how partnerships working in education, livelihoods, health and social inclusion have already transformed the lives of refugees and their hosts. 

Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

• Since the inception of SSAR, some 660,000 Afghan refugees have voluntarily repatriated from the Islamic Republics of Iran and Pakistan. Returnees receive a grant averaging USD 200/per person to address their initial needs, and a range of services including health screening, vaccination and support in obtaining civil documentation.

• The Government identified Priority Areas of Return and Reintegration (PARRs) that require additional humanitarian and development investments to enable voluntary return and sustainable reintegration. The PARRs link short and medium-term community-based protection projects to longer-term development programmes. They are aligned with Afghanistan’s National Peace and Development Framework and National Priority Programmes, notably the Citizens’ Charter.
• Since 2017, UNHCR has implemented community-based protection projects benefitting 500,000 refugees, returnees, IDPs and members of host communities annually. Projects aim to enhance sustainable reintegration through education and self-reliance, and support peaceful coexistence through infrastructure development, including construction of schools, clinics, roads, and water/sanitation networks.

Islamic Republic of Iran

• The 2015 Supreme Leader’s decree granted all Afghan children, regardless of their documentation status, access to public schools. Some 480,000 Afghan children are enrolled in primary and secondary schools in 2019. Refugees have access to university education.
• Since 2015, 50 schools were constructed jointly by the Government and UNHCR, with the running costs covered by the Ministry of Education.
• As of 2016, all refugee-specific public school enrolment fees were lifted by the Government.
• Refugees have access to primary healthcare at no cost, on a par with nationals. All refugees have access to the national health insurance system allowing them to benefit from secondary and tertiary healthcare at reduced cost, same as nationals.

Islamic Republic of Pakistan

• In 2017, the Government adopted a Comprehensive Policy on Voluntary Repatriation and Management of Afghan Refugees, focusing on: voluntary repatriation; extension of the validity of refugee ID cards; enactment of national refugee legislation; improved border management; a flexible visa regime for refugees; and registration and documentation of undocumented Afghans.
• In 2017/18, the Government registered nearly 880,000 previously undocumented Afghan nationals.
• Refugees enjoy access to Pakistan’s national education and healthcare systems, on a par with nationals.
• As of February 2019, Afghan refugees can open bank accounts and participate in the formal economy.
• The Refugee Affected and Hosting Areas (RAHA) programme has benefitted more than 12.4 million individuals, including Afghan refugees and their Pakistani host communities.

Next steps

In October 2019, the Governments of the Islamic Republics of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan agreed to launch a Support Platform for the SSAR, in line with the overarching objective of the GCR to operationalize international burden and responsibility-sharing. The Platform will reinforce the priorities of the SSAR, capitalize on its achievements and address the remaining gaps by forging new partnerships for coherent and sustainable multi-year humanitarian and development responses. It will solicit additional investments and mobilize engagement of a more diverse base of stakeholders, including non-traditional donors, development actors and the private sector, in support of:

• Enhancing capacity for voluntary return and sustainable reintegration in Afghanistan by leveraging humanitarian and development partnerships in the Priority Areas of Return and Reintegration (PARRs).
• Creating conditions conducive to voluntary repatriation by i) supporting land distribution to returnees in Afghanistan, ii) investing in resilience and portable skills of refugees in host countries to enhance potential for reintegration, and iii) tailoring assistance to enable initial anchoring upon return.
• Channelling additional investments into the national public service delivery systems in the Islamic Republics of Iran and Pakistan (education, healthcare, social protection, vocational skills development) to support inclusive policies of the Governments benefitting both host communities and refugees.

For more specific information about projects in this region, please visit our Good Practices page.