Afghanistan: Information on the existence and purpose of a document called "Employment Certification" that was issued by the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan in 1995 through its Ministry of "Encouragement and Promotion of Investment Department of the Ministers Council" and/or the "The Afghanistan Private Industries Council"
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 November 1997 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | AFG28174.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Afghanistan: Information on the existence and purpose of a document called "Employment Certification" that was issued by the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan in 1995 through its Ministry of "Encouragement and Promotion of Investment Department of the Ministers Council" and/or the "The Afghanistan Private Industries Council", 1 November 1997, AFG28174.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abf820.html [accessed 28 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The following information was provided in a 19 October 1997 telephone interview with the Director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He lived in Afghanistan from 1964-1974 where he worked as Director of the Fulbright Foundation. He travels regularly to Afghanistan and is a consultant to the UN and to the US State Department on issues relating to Afghanistan.
The Director stated that the "Employment Certification" was issued during the communist régime (1978-1992) and was probably used to "weed out" those considered "suspicious" by the government due to their connections to the past. This document was not common and the majority of Afghan citizens did not require it.
In a 5 November 1997 fax in response to a request for a description of the "Employment Certificate," the Director stated that:
The Employment Certificate is a small card, folded to fit in a wallet. It has a passport size photo of the bearer on the left side with an official stamp of the Employer office. On the right side it contains the name of the bearer, Father's name, address, occupation, age and party affiliation, Peoples Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA). This certificate was only issued to the party affiliated people in order to make them eligible for the benefits that were designed for them. It was issued through the party organizations in each ministry by the recommendation of the head of the Organization.
Corroborating and/or additional information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska. 5 November 1997. Fax sent to the Research Directorate.
_____. 19 October 1997. Telephone interview.
Additional Sources Consulted
Commission des recours de réfugiés. September 1994. P. Assumpcao, P. Afghanistan.
Rais, Rasul Bakhsh. 1994. War of Winners: Afghanistan's Uncertain Transition After the Cold War.
Rubin, Barnett A. 1995. The Fragmentation of Afghanistan: State Formation and Collapse in the International System.
One oral source could not provide information on the requested subject.
Unsuccessful attempts to contact four other oral sources.
