IRIN
AFGHANISTAN: UNHCR shelter programme helping more than 100,000
10 August 2004


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

KABUL, 10 August (IRIN) - The office of the United Nations High 
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is moving forward with its shelter 
programme to provide 20,500 housing units for Afghan returnees this year. 
While over 3.6 million refugees have returned over the past two years, 
lack of accomodation remains a huge problem for most returnees.

"The shelter programme is mainly for vulnerable Afghan returnees who find 
their houses destroyed once they are back in their homeland," Nader Farhad 
a spokesman for UNHCR told IRIN in Kabul. So far, this year more than half 
a million Afghans had returned, mainly from Iran, he added.

According to Farhad, this year, UNHCR initially signed agreements with 
partner agencies to construct the housing units for vulnerable returnees 
across the country. Of these units, 28 percent had been completed to the 
roofing level by the end of July 2004.  In the meantime, the selection of 
additional vulnerable returnees who are eligible for shelter assistance is 
continuing in most provinces.

As part of an initial reintegration effort to help vulnerable returnees, 
UNHCR, in collaboration with the Afghan Ministry of Refugees and 
Repatriation (MRR), provided some 100,000 rural shelter units as new homes 
that have benefited more than half a million Afghans in the past two 
years.

Although at least another 11,350 housing units are planned by other 
operational partners mainly in central, southeastern, western and northern 
regions, this number wouldn't be sufficient to cover the shelter needs of 
the returnees, he said, as lack of adequate housing was one of the most 
urgent needs for returning refugees to rural, as well as urban areas.

The UN refugee agency has allocated some US $22 million to support 20,500 
families build their shelters and this was expected to benefit 
approximately 102,500 individuals in 2004, Farhad highlighted, while there 
was a need to fill a gap of 20,000 housing units, which had initially been 
planned by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) but 
could not be implemented due to lack of funding.

To fill this gap, UNHCR has planned an additional 7,000 units for the 
second phase this year, increasing its overall planning figure for 2004 to 
27,500 shelter units, he pointed out.

UNHCR has so far signed more than 60 contracts with international and 
local NGOs for this year's shelter programme, which would also target some 
urban areas, Farhad stressed.


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Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2004


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