Refugees International will be traveling to Pakistan and Afghanistan from May 26th to June 17th 2008 to conduct an assessment mission of the humanitarian response to the needs of Afghan refugees and returnees in both countries. The Refugees International (RI) team will evaluate the overall effectiveness of the response and of efforts to provide assistance and protection to the groups that are particularly vulnerable.

The security situation inside Afghanistan continues to deteriorate in many parts of the country, making it difficult for the humanitarian community to provide assistance to vulnerable Afghans. Since 2001, five million Afghans have returned home, both through voluntary returns and being forced out by their host countries. Given the current security climate and the limitations of the humanitarian community both in terms of movement and resources, RI will focus its mission of assessing the degree to which returnees can be assisted and protected to ensure a safe, sustainable return to their communities. RI is also concerned about the fate of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, particularly of those who are being pushed to return by the Pakistani Government’s efforts to close down decades-old settlements in the North West Frontier Province.

The primary purpose of this mission is to evaluate how international and national aid agencies and the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan are assisting Afghan refugees and returnees in light of international commitments made to this issue since 2001. RI will assess UN and humanitarian agencies efforts to meet protection and assistance needs and identify any constraints. We will focus on the degree to which responses to assistance needs have included protection components. We will also examine how the international response is being coordinated, as well as efforts to develop a flexible, voluntary and sustainable return process. Inside Afghanistan, we hope to assess the situation for new as well as less recent returnees. Issues of secondary displacement are also of great concern to us.

RI will first travel to Pakistan to assess how the closure of refugee camps by the Pakistani authorities is impacting Afghan refugees, many of whom were born in Pakistan. RI will also look at pattern of migration in Pakistan, as many choose to relocate within the country instead of returning to a homeland they have never seen. RI will also assess the assistance provided to those who choose to return, as well as the way protection needs are addressed. In Afghanistan, RI will focus its work on the central, eastern and western regions of the country, where most of the returns have taken place. We will look at the efforts that were and continue to be made to reintegrate returnees into their communities, as well as the effectiveness of these initiatives given the security and development challenges in the country. RI will also examine the role the United Nations and other international actors have been playing in responding to humanitarian needs.