Interview with UNHCR regional head

Regional Emergency Coordinator and head of the UN refugee agency UNHCR in Afghanistan, Filippo Grandi, told IRIN that governance and security would be key to a return of Afghan refugees and internally displaced. In an interview, Grandi added that many refugees had told him they would only return home once security, work and education were assured. QUESTION: What are UNHCR's current objectives in Afghanistan? ANSWER. Let me start with the displaced, which is maybe less evident. We are interested in displacement as this is an area to which we can bring our expertise and some value. We are particularly interested in those displaced by conflict, those displaced in areas that are less well-covered such as the south, east, and parts of the centre [of Afghanistan]. I would like us to focus on the return of internally displaced people to their homes. This links up with our main objectives in Afghanistan, the return of refugees from abroad, which we hope may become a reality in the next few months or after the winter. So the strategy is assisting and ensuring the minimum basic protection to IDP's in areas less well covered, helping them to return home, assisting them when they do, and in a broader sense, organising the repatriation of refugees. These are, in a nutshell, the two objectives inside Afghanistan. Q: You said recently that a cross-movement of people was being observed on the Afghan borders. Can you clarify what is actually happening?

If there is any settlement in Afghanistan, there will be huge pressure from Pakistan and Iran to send refugees back.

A: People are now escaping mostly from areas of conflict, essentially in the south. People coming out from [the southern border crossing of] Chaman are fleeing Kandahar. There are very few people who have made it because the border is officially closed. I suspect if there is a pattern, it is that the 140,000 or so who have arrived here [in Pakistan] are not the most vulnerable. The most needy are those that remained inside as they could not afford to make the trip out. Q: Some refugees have been returning to Afghanistan. Are they allowed to go through official crossing points or do they have to sneak back across the border? A: We haven't yet discussed this with the Pakistani authorities, but all those who have gone back did so without major problems, as I understand it. Especially from Iran where they return every day. Whether these are refugees or seasonal workers is another matter, but Afghans go back. Q: At what point does UNHCR decide to encourage voluntary repatriation? A: We are preparing a repatriation strategy. Basically, in order for us to promote the return of people, I think we would need to see security and some form of government. If the two-year Brahimi strategy for transition evolves as described, with a broad-based government and security, then we could start promoting repatriation. Absorption capacity will be an important issue however, and there would have to be economic opportunities and the possibility to cultivate land for farmers. Some Afghans here in Pakistan insist on education for children and security. I have asked many Afghans when they would return and they often mention these main elements. Possibilities for women to work was also raised by refugees. Promoting repatriation will be the last phase from our perspective. What will most likely happen is that there is a spontaneous repatriation, with people coming up and asking us for help to return home. We have to understand stability in an Afghan context, which may be very localised. So, for example, if the situation in Herat stabilises under Ismail Khan [the former governor, now in control of most of western Afghanistan], it is likely that large numbers of people will return from Iran. So we have to find ways to facilitate that, even if we're not promoting it. Then there will be political pressure from governments. If there is any settlement in Afghanistan, there will be huge pressure from Pakistan and Iran to send refugees back. That will be a difficult issue to tackle. This pressure for refugees to go back will likely be supported by donor governments. However, what may be different here is that donor governments will realise the limited absorption capacity of Afghanistan and will be rather worried of having 4 million people, or even 2 million people, putting an additional burden on the country. Q: Presumably a return of refugees would bring skills back to Afghanistan. A: Refugees going back would be an asset for Afghanistan because they generally have led a better life, had more opportunities, more money and better education than the people inside. But will those people go back? We think that the first people to return will be those who have nothing, because they may see an opportunity inside if there is a lot of assistance put into Afghanistan now. Probably those with resources will leave later. IOM [International Organisation for Migration] and others are beefing up their return of talent programme, to attract people from the US and other countries to come back to the region initially as consultants. Q: What's your view on an eventual return of refugees and displaced? A: I hope that the displacement situation will be resolved eventually. I hope that it will happen in a way that does not expose people to danger and does not expose Afghanistan to collapse. Whether a major return will happen or not is difficult to tell. All Afghans that I speak to say that a lot of people will go back. If there are 4 million Afghans outside, a movement of even 20 percent back home is a major operation. We are reinforcing our five offices inside and increasing our small sub-offices from 12 to 22 to monitor the return of people, their integration and displacement. We are going to set up a large structure. If a return happens, fine. If it doesn't, we'll dismantle it.