In early 2020 UNDP undertook a study to map the journey that Afghans take in their return from Pakistan, and the services they need or access along the way, with the aim of identifying gaps in service provision. This study aimed to identify approaches to promote the sustainable and community-based reintegration of Afghan returnees, which is critical for the long-term development of Afghanistan. This report explores in-depth the context of service provision in Kabul, Laghman, Nangahar, and at the Torkham border crossing.

The findings from this research clearly show that returnees face barriers to reintegration that are linked to the limited services they have access to and receive. In particular, lack of employment support and lack of housing are main barriers to reintegration. Services available to returnees in transit and at their destination are insufficient in terms of quality, quantity, and reliability. Throughout their journey from Pakistan to their destination in Afghanistan, returnees repeatedly did not have consistent access to services they needed. This included even very basic services, such as shelter, but also longer-term services, such as education for their children. Returnees were often asked for bribes and experienced other forms of corruption when trying to access services. When returnees were able to access services, they reported that the services were often insufficient—especially for large families—that access was contingent on having local connections, the services were not dependable or on time, and that the services varied in terms of quality and utility; undocumented returnees and women—especially female headed households—also faced additional difficulties in accessing services.

This report is a supplement to the full report that provides an overview of the journey and service delivery that Afghans’ experienced during their return.

This study aligns with UNDP’s vision that national development must be tackled with a long-term approach that integrates migration and displacement, both of which will present a challenge for Afghans for the foreseeable future. The research forms part of UNDP’s ongoing efforts to work with local, national, and international partners to address migration and displacement though a lens of development, as outlined in the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework,  the Global Compact for Migration, the Global Compact on Refugees,  the Global Forum for Migration and Development, the Platform on Disaster Displacement, the Plan of Action for the Guiding Principles for Internal Displacement (GP20), and other fora on migration and development.

UNDP is working with IOM and UNHCR to support people affected by displacement and their host communities by supporting multiple levels of government to mainstream migration into their development plans; address the root causes of displacement and migration; promote resilience-based development that is sustainable and localised for each community.