The humanitarian situation is worsening in Afghanistan. Millions of Afghans need help rebuilding their lives and country. While all Afghans suffer from the government's poor capacity and the country's lack of services, Afghan refugees and returnees have been neglected and are particularly vulnerable. To increase regional stability, the United States and other donor nations must allocate their resources differently to tackle problems that are specific to vulnerable Afghans.

Money for large-scale development programs must be reallocated towards direct support for community-level integration of long-term refugees in Pakistan and returnees in Afghanistan. Donors must also reassess their support for land allocation schemes that are not properly designed and managed, leaving Afghan families stranded in the desert with little prospects. To prioritize humanitarian concerns, the UN must significantly improve its leadership on the humanitarian front and ensure that appropriate mechanisms and sufficient resources are devoted to coordination and advocacy. Protection concerns, such as the fate of deportees from Iran, need to be better addressed.

Policy Recommendations:

• The U.S. and the UN should uphold principles of international refugee law, and ensure that any returns from Pakistan are voluntary;
• The U.S. and other donor countries should support integration and reintegration programs in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and reallocate their resources to fund existing and new programs targeted at refugees and returnees;
• The U.S. and other donor countries should support UNHCR in its effort to ensure Afghanistan's existing land allocation schemes are sustainable, and refrain from funding more sites;
• Either through UNAMA or an independent OCHA office, the UN should improve its mechanisms to coordinate humanitarian programs and advocate on humanitarian issues;
• Donors should fund IOM to provide assistance to deportees from Iran.

Kristele Younes and Patrick Duplat assessed the situation for Afghan refugees and returnees in Pakistan and Afghanistan in June.