One Day Consultation Resolution Regarding Afghan Refugees' Immediate Problems

Afghan Desk of HRCP and the Afghan- Pakistan Peoples Friendship Association organized one-day consultation on "Immediate Problems of Afghan Refugees and its ways of solution" in Peshawar on 29th of April 2004. Prominent figures of the national NGOs, socio-political activists and media representatives made their active participation. This consultation opened with opining speech of Mr. Afrasiab Khattak Ex.Cahir HRCP and chair of APPFA. After his speech, issues regarding the Afghan refugees and their future in Afghanistan and Pakistan were discussed with appropriate participation of the Afghan and Pak scholars and human rights activists.

The participants of the one day consultation unanimously raised the following issues and gave some suggestions to draw the attention of the international actors, Pakistan and Afghanistan high authorities:

1. Living conditions of Afghan refugees in existing camps and in the urban areas,
2. The lack of International aid and the immediate needs of Afghan refugees in neighboring countries,
3. Protection issues of Afghan refugees,
4. The repatriation process and major problems of the returnees inside Afghanistan,
5. The impacts of tri-partite agreement and its enforcement in 2005,
6. The prospective for the closure of the Afghan refugees camps in the tribal belt and the repatriation and resettlement problems for half million refugees living there,
7. Problems of Afghan refugees in heath and education sectors.

The participants unanimously came up with the following conclusions:

1. The two and half decades of war have brought many miseries in every field to the entire Afghan populace and the Afghan economy need more and more rehabilitation to make real grounds for the resettlement of the returnees. We were witness to the consequences of the 2002 spontaneous and huge unplanned repatriation which made additional burden to the fragile Afghan economy. Therefore the UN major agencies responsible for the repatriation should keep in mind the sustainability of this process and not to encourage the refugees without real grounds for repatriation.
2. The participants of this consultation called upon the world community to fulfill their pledges for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Afghanistan's economy and its consolidation. Mega projects for the extensive jobs and the common Afghan citizen employment should be launched as soon as possible to have real grounds for sustainable repatriation and resettlement of millions of Afghan refugees from neighboring countries.
3. The participants of the consultation called upon the law and order enforcing agencies of Pakistan to friendly treat Afghan refugees and to stop the high handedness of irresponsible persons against the Afghan refugees.
4. The participants of this forum called upon the international and multilateral donor and charity organizations to make immediate surveys of the Afghan refugees and their immediate livelihood problems which they face after the lack and stopping of first need items to the refugees and to reconsider their programs for a while when the overall situation in Afghanistan getting better and conducive for the sustainable return of refugees back to their homeland.
5. The tripartite agreement contents should be republished and its practical and unpractical aspects should be taken under discussion in such forums here and inside of Afghanistan.