IRIN
IRAN: UNHCR to assist 150,000 Afghan returnees in 2006
2 March 2006


[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United 
Nations]

ANKARA, 2 March (IRIN) - The office of the United Nations High 
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says that based on last year's returns 
it is budgeting to assist an estimated 150,000 Afghan refugees to 
voluntarily return to their homeland this year from Iran, host to one of 
the largest refugee populations in the world. UNHCR Iran adds that 
should the number of voluntary returns increase, it will adjust its 
programmes accordingly.

"The main challenge is to be able to merge desires and aspirations of 
Afghans to go back with the very difficult conditions in Afghanistan and 
the ability for many to establish sustainable living conditions and 
livelihoods upon their return," UNHCR country representative, Sten 
Bronee, said from the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Thursday.

"It is also crucial to sustain the understanding and appreciation both 
within Iran and Afghanistan for the predicament of the Afghans in making 
this difficult choice," Bronee added, referring to some of the 
challenges facing the effort.

Since the UN refugee agency began its voluntary repatriation programme 
for Afghanistan in 2002, more than 3.5 million Afghan refugees have 
returned to their homeland - the vast majority from Pakistan and Iran - 
the two largest host countries to the Afghan diaspora. More than 1.4 
million Afghans have returned to their homeland from Iran, 844,000 of 
whom have received assistance from UNHCR.

In 2002, the refugee agency in Iran assisted 260,000 to return; followed 
by 142,000 in 2003, 378,000 in 2004, and 64,000 in 2005. This decrease 
in return numbers is seen as natural following several consecutive years 
of high return rates, according to the agency.

As part of that assistance effort, returnees register at one of 10 
voluntary repatriation centres (VRCs) located throughout Iran - 
including the cities of Mashhad, Qom, Esfahan, Kerman, Shiraz, Yazd, 
Arak, Zabol, Zahedan, and Tehran, as well as a dispatching station in 
Khravan. In Iran they are provided with an assistance package, including 
a small monetary grant to facilitate their return.

After registration, returnees proceed to one of two exit points along 
the 936 km Iran-Afghan border, the primary one being Dogharoun in Iran's 
northeastern Khorasan province. A secondary border crossing point is at 
Milak in southeastern Sistan Baluchistan.

But despite the programme's successes, many challenges remain in Iran, 
where according to the government just over 900,000 registered Afghans 
still live.

"Another challenge is to ensure that the international community remains 
focused on the need for the continued support for Afghan refugees who 
decide to return voluntarily and for those who remain in the host 
countries. It is equally essential that the host countries in the region 
receive continued support for maintaining the refugees pending their 
return," Bronee explained.

The repatriation process in Iran takes place within the framework of the 
tripartite agreement, known as the Joint Programme. The main aims of the 
Joint Programme are to ensure that repatriation of all Afghan refugees 
who are registered with the Iranian authorities is voluntary, takes 
place with dignity and is bolstered by assistance towards reintegration 
once in Afghanistan.

Although the current Tripartite Agreement, signed in the western Afghan 
city of Herat in June 2005, is set to expire on 21 March, an extension 
is expected at the next Tripartite Commission between Tehran, Kabul and 
UNHCR on 8 March in the western Iranian city of Mashad.


IRIN-Asia
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