AMBITIOUS UNHCR STRATEGY FOR AFGHAN REFUGEES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 001404 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/02/2018 TAGS: PREF PGOV PREL PK AF SUBJECT: AMBITIOUS UNHCR STRATEGY FOR AFGHAN REFUGEES Classified By: CDA PBODDE Reasons 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) is revising its strategy for Afghan refugees to complement voluntary repatriations. It includes regulatory mechanisms to allow Afghans in Pakistan to better support themselves; development of refugee affected hosting areas to benefit Afghans and Pakistanis; and working with the new Pakistani government to revise its three-year plan for Afghan refugees to allow the process (and development in Afghanistan) a little more time. Pakistan says it is commited to voluntary repatriations and has expanded relocation options in country, but it also requested Tripartite approval for additional camp closures. END SUMMARY. Revised Strategy ================ ¶2. (SBU) UNHCR country representative Guenet Guebre-Christos briefed RefCoord on a revised strategy for Afghan refugees to meet new realities. The modalities of recent years are insufficient and donor resources -- direct support to both UNHCR and NGO projects for refugees -- are dwindling. Many of the remaining two million refugees came to Pakistan nearly 30 years ago and are reluctant to return decades later to a country where shelter and security are scarce. ¶3. (C) The new strategy still encourages voluntary repatriations, but with a focus on sustainability. It serves no one -- not the GOP, donors, UNHCR, or refugees -- if documented Afghans relinquish their proof-of-registration (POR) cards to repatriate, only to recycle back to Pakistan as undocumented and illegal migrants. UNHCR also seeks extended temporary solutions here for refugees and will work to empower Afghans to transition to a life beyond the once long-term but now decreasing donor relief. In the coming months, UNHCR plans to finalize this policy, consult their partners, and present the proposal to the Pakistani government. Threefold UNHCR Proposal ======================== ¶4. (C) UNHCR seeks what it calls predictable status for Afghans who cannot repatriate by December 2009, and wants to negotiate a temporary extension of the current PORs -- de facto a transition to greater self-support by refugees until they can repatriate. It includes regulated mechanisms such as temporary residence and work permits, limited legal rights assistance, and some in-camp livelihood projects to lessen the donor burden. UNHCR will lobby landlords, along with orchard owners, carpet dealers, and other major employers of Afghans in a labor-intensive initiative to garner Pakistani market support to show the GOP that Afghans make a vital contribution to the economy, and are not just a liability. ¶5. (SBU) A second project is the implementation of some refugee affected hosting areas (RAHA) projects. RAHA aid will improve the health, education, water and environment, infrastructure, and livelihoods sectors of Pakistani communities that have hosted Afghan refugees for years and have borne the strain of the addition population. RAHA needs assessments are nearly complete and UNHCR believes it is crucial to show the GOP that they and the international community are willing to help both Pakistanis and those Afghans in transition. Details must be hammered out on who will take the lead on RAHA and where it will be implemented first, but a donor briefing, including costs, has been promised soon. ¶6. (C) A third component of the proposal is to work with the new Pakistani government to change the outdated three-year Afghan refugee policy (which requires a cabinet level decision) to allow temporary extensions of the PORs. A new policy would give Afghanistan several more years to improve its development and security to foster more viable repatriations. Also, Pakistan currently lacks a fremework to deal with asylum seekers, so UNHCR is helping the Interior Ministry to establish one as part of its fledgling migration management cell. On a hopeful note, at a recent meeting on migration issues, Additional Secretary Kazi of the Interior Ministry said publicly for the first time that Pakistan "must develop a coordinated, sustainable response to asylum-seekers ISLAMABAD 00001404 002 OF 002 and refugees." Tripartie Commission and Camp Closures ====================================== ¶7. (C) Pakistan continues to honor the Tripartite Commission agreement that repatriations be voluntary and it has expanded relocation options for residents leaving those camps slated for closure. However, at the March 28 Tripartite Commission meeting in Dubai, the Pakistani delegation requested (as we expected) approval for additional camp closures, which the Afghan and UNHCR delegates declined to give at this time. UNHCR recognizes Pakistan's right to close camps, although they favor allowing some camps not yet planned for closure (and where security is not an issue) to remain open to give some Afghans additional time to repatriate. Security issues are driving some camp closures, but UNHCR's Guebre-Christos believes economic issues are vying with security concerns as a major motive for trying to remove Afghans from camps. The government and private land owners want their property back. ¶8. (C) Comment: UNHCR's new strategy is ambitious, but government contacts already admit that not all Afghans can depart Pakistan by end-2009 and that the current three-year plan requires revision. This recognition is a small wedge in the door for realistic progress in encouraging sustainable repatriations while seeking temporary solutions for Afghans who will remain in Pakistan a little longer. BODDE