“The real challenge is still ahead of us,” Stephanie Loose, head of the program in Afghanistan, for journalists in Geneva on Friday.
“” We are talking about the reintegration of people who have lost their house, who have lost their assets and also their hope. »»
Millions in movement
Afghanistan is currently faced with an unprecedented return crisis.
Since September 2023, some three million Afghans living in Pakistan and Iran have been expelled or voluntarily repatriated, with more than two million arrives so far this year. For some, it is not a return but a new start.
“Many in Afghanistan do not have a place to go because they have never lived in Afghanistan,” said Ms. Lool.
“Sixty percent of those who come back now are less than 18 years old, so they have no social ties, they do not have networks and there is a real risk for them to take negative adaptation mechanisms.”
Concern for women and girls
Rapatrians come to a country under the domination of the Taliban and where about half of the population – 22.9 million people – requires humanitarian assistance in the midst of economic crises, human and climate rights.
Ms. Loose noted that Taliban edicts preventing women and girls from frequenting a secondary school, getting a job or going out without a male chaperon, presenting a serious challenge to returns.
“They are postponed in a country where there is no education for girls beyond 12 years, where they do not really know where to go, and where there is in fact specifically for women and girls without possibilities for social development and not economic,” she said.
“We also have households to the head of women who return to the country. So you can just imagine what it means for them. They cannot really leave their homes without being accompanied by a mahramA male goalkeeper, even if they want to go see a doctor.“”
Integration challenges
She added that integration is likely to be still complicated by the high level of needs in Afghanistan, given the fragile political, economic and social situation, linked to more than four decades of conflict.
Afghanistan is also among the first 10 countries affected by climate change, and droughts, floods and heat waves have wreaked havoc on rural livelihoods. They also threaten people living in informal colonies in urban areas which represent up to 80% of the population in these places.
Given the scale of Afghanistan needs, Ms. Loose stressed that the reconstruction of lives goes beyond emergency aid.
“” People need access to basic servicesin water, sanitation. And overall, they need subsistence opportunities … to lead their lives in dignity and support their families, “she said.
International call
The reintegration of a large number of displaced people will require enormous efforts from the international community and the Afghan authorities, she said.
“” It is a humanitarian crisis for individuals, but requires systemic and locally founded approachesAnd a solid investment in basic services, infrastructure, housing solutions and subsistence opportunities, “she said.
Ms. Lool urged the international community not to forget Afghanistan and its inhabitants, in particular women and girls, and to ensure adequate funding available so that they can live in dignity.
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
