Islamic Republic of Afghanistan - Enhanced Integrated Framework ...

cantly improved since 2002 in all areas: socialsupport, pension distribution and disaster preparedness.Cash transfer benefits have beenestablished for martyr’s families and the disabledas the main instrument of the social supportand national solidarity with the victims ofthe war. The MoLSAMD has established itsdepartments in all provinces and strengthen itscapacity for targeting and cooperating withNGOs and donors. Around 2.5 million peoplehave been covered with some type of publicarrangement for social protection. Efforts willnow focus on: (i) improving efficiency of publicarrangements for social risk management; (ii)diversifying market-based arrangements forsocial risk management; (iii) strengthening informalarrangements for social risk management(iv) capacity building and restructuring inthe MoLSAMD; and (vi) improving partnershipwith civil society and NGOs to enhance aidcoordination. The main principle for futuresocial support will be to enhance fiscal sustainabilityby focusing on the most vulnerable andsupporting the “poorest of the poor”. Finally,strengthening the public/NGOs/private sectorpartnership will support the Government’s intentionto remain mainly in the area of policymaking and providing regulations and havingthe private sector and NGOs increasingly involvedin service delivery.Refugees, returnees and internallydisplaced persons (IDPs)The ANDS strategic objective with respect torefugees, returnees and IDP’s is to efficientlymanage the voluntary return of refugees andIDPs and their reintegration into productiveparticipation in society. World-wide experiencehas indicated that large, unplanned, andessentially involuntary returns which have tobe managed as emergency influxes generate arange of negative consequences. Therefore theplanned and voluntary return of refugees andIDPs return is the guiding principle for the sectorstrategy.More than five million persons have returnedto their homes since 2002. Their reintegrationinto society has been challenging but there hasno been no pattern of discrimination againstreturnees. There is some evidence of secondarymigration of returnees from places of origin tocities and back to the neighboring countries.The latter occur most noticeably from borderprovinces. Population movements have largelynormalized with socio-economic factors largelyreplacing security and politics as the key drivers.The numbers of IDPs has also fallen significantlysince 2002. Currently there are anestimated 129,000 IDPs displaced by pastdrought and conflict and an additional 29,000more recently displaced by recent fighting inthe southern provinces. The majority of theone million IDPs identified in 2002 have returnedto their homes. During 2007 there wassome rise in local internal displacement in thesouthern provinces of Helmand and Uruzgandue to clashes with terrorist groups. Withinthe region, the principle legal and operationalframework governing voluntary repatriation isprovided by the Tripartite Agreements (TA)signed between Afghanistan, UNHCR, Iranand Pakistan respectively. These agreementsare serviced by regular meetings of TripartiteCommissions at both Ministerial and workinglevel.It is very probable that high levels of mass andvoluntary repatriation are over. The refugees’long stay in exile, poverty, and dissuasive conditionsin many parts of Afghanistan are likelyto prove difficult obstacles to overcome in thefuture. Security, lack of economic opportunities(employment) and social services (healthand education) continue to limit return andreintegration. The most significant challengesfor future will be: (i) ensuring peace and securityin areas of refugee origin; (ii) improvingthe Government’s abilities to negotiate effectivelywith its neighbors on refugee, displacementand migration issues; (iii) improving thepolitical, economic, social and organizationalabsorption capacities in key sectors and areas;and (iv) developing an implementation planand supporting resources executed over anumber of years.CROSS-CUTTING ISSUESSince 1383, the Government has given considerableattention to a set of issues that cut acrossall the sectors, motivated by the belief that theoverall success of the ANDS will be in jeopardyif these issues are not effectively addressed.These cross cutting issues involve (i) regionalcooperation; (ii) counter-narcotics; (iii) anticorruption;(iv) gender equality; (v) capacitydevelopment; and (vi) environmental management..The ANDS: An Overview 13