| Seventh Sustainable Development Conference
8-10 December, 2004, Holiday Inn, Islamabad
Troubled Times: Sustainable Development and Governance in the Age of Extremes
Panel: Afghan Refugees/Displaced Persons in Pakistan: A Sustainable Development Solution?
 Afghan Refugees in Pakistan – Sustainable Solutions in an Era of Change
by Ewen Macleod, Afghanistan
For over two decades, all constituencies have approached displacement from Afghanistan primarily as a refugee and humanitarian problem. This paradigm has governed policy and planning assumptions and determined the legal and operational parameters for protection and assistance programs for Afghans in Pakistan. Since 2002, the return of over 2.3 million Afghans to their homeland has raised expectations that solutions to one of the largest and most protracted refugee situations may be in sight. More particularly, it has reinvigorated support for voluntary repatriation as the favored durable solution. But over time the demographic composition of the Afghan population in Pakistan, the circumstances of displacement and exile, and the nature of cross border movements to and from Afghanistan have changed. There is a growing body of evidence that indicates the existence and potential importance of transnational networks and mobility to the country’s economic and social prospects. Afghanistan’s politics, economy, and society have also been profoundly affected by long periods of conflict, the effects of which will take many years to overcome. Moreover, an analysis of the country’s pre-war development indices offers some important pointers as to the likely trajectory of the reconstruction process in the future. In consequence, increasing tensions have emerged between the international obligations and responsibilities for protection derived from refugee and humanitarian law, and the domestic political and economic priorities of the states concerned. This paper argues that these developments present sharp challenges to policy makers that require new frameworks and approaches if sustainable solutions for displaced Afghans are to be successfully pursued. In particular, it proposes that an understanding of migratory processes, contemporary livelihood strategies, and poverty alleviation are critical to informing future policy formulation. It also suggests that future management of population movements should more appropriately be lodged within normalized regional and bilateral cooperation arrangements.
View Abstracts
|
