UNHCR suspends assisted Afghan repatriation for winter

The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced on Friday that it would temporarily close its Afghan voluntary repatriation operation from Pakistan for a winter break from 20 December till the end of February 2006. "All repatriation registration and departure centres of the UN refugee agency will remain closed during the winter months beyond 20 December, however, the encashment centres inside Afghanistan will remain operational for another week up till 27 December," Vivian Tan, a UNHCR spokeswoman, said in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. Following the collapse of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, the UN refugee agency launched its voluntary repatriation assistance programme in 2002 from Pakistan and Iran - the two primary host countries of the Afghan diaspora. The UNHCR's repatriation assistance programme from Pakistan is governed by a tripartite agreement between Kabul, Islamabad and the UN refugee agency, and runs until December 2006. As of 30 November, about 440,000 Afghan refugees have returned to Afghanistan this year from Pakistan under the UNHCR repatriation assistance programme that resumed on 7 March after the winter break. However, there is no record of spontaneous repatriation, although a significant number do cross into Afghanistan without approaching the UN refugee agency. Under the programme, Afghan returnees are eligible for transport assistance ranging from US $4 to $37 per person, depending on the distance to their destination. Additionally, they also receive a small monetary grant to help them with additional costs.