The tankered water is not enough for drinking, cooking and construction (brick making). Sometimes the children have to walk to the Sholgara River about an hour away to fetch water. © UNHCR/ R. Arnold

Press alert

Tuesday 18 November 2008

Kabul conference on Return and Reintegration, Wednesday 19 Nov 2008

Background information, videos and photographs

On Wednesday 19 November 2008, the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refuges (UNHCR) are hosting a conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, to solicit support from key donor countries to invest in long-term Afghan development programmes to support refugees returning to Afghanistan. Before Afghanistan can absorb - and sustain - the remaining 3.5 million Afghans waiting to return from Pakistan and Iran, humanitarian assistance is urgently needed.

Furthermore, Afghanistan is facing one of its worst humanitarian crises in recent history. In the grips of yet another severe drought, and heading for an even harsher winter than last, there is serious concern about the more than 5 million refugees who have returned to Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban government in 2001.

Many refugees - mostly war widows, young men, and children - have made the dangerous overland trip home to remote villages and towns in the hope of building new lives. They have not found what they expected. They face food shortages, lack of shelter and land, few jobs, and a deteriorating security situation. As a result, many have been forced to leave the country again or relocate to poor urban shantytowns, where they face similar difficulties and greater competition for scarce resources.

In connection with this important conference, UNHCR offers a variety of background material, including five articles, three videos, photo galleries, and newly updated statistics. All material is free of charge and highlights the situation in Afghanistan, as well as the work that is being done in providing food, shelter and basic infrastructure as an ongoing but short-term response.

Please see below for a detailed account of what we have to offer.

Exclusive black and white photos by the Afghan photographer Zalmaï. Please note that these photos can only be used once to promote the Kabul conference during November 2008 and cannot be archived. The credit for the photos should read: © Zalmaï. To see the photos click here!

Articles:

The impact of drought on Afghan returnees.

A social jobs programme to keep returnee children off the street, including photographs.

Hope for young returnees born in exile who face culture shock, education and employment problems on their return.

Afghans who have returned, only to live in tents, including photographs.

Videos:

One man's story about his family and life in Afghanistan since returning from Pakistan.

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie's recent mission to Afghanistan.

A news story shot in Moajir Queslaq.

Read more about videos!

For more information on Afghanistan click here!