Securing Funds for Afghan Refugees: Challenges and Way Forward

The first wave of Afghan refugees arrived in Pakistan after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, which forced over three million Afghan refugees to flee to Pakistan and the numbers gradually increased in the following years. By the end of 1980, there were almost four million Afghan Refugees in Pakistan. Since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, Pakistan has hosted 4 million refugees. The second influx of Afghan refugees began when US invaded Afghanistan in response to the September 11,2001 attacks. Many of these refugees have returned to Afghanistan throughout the years. According to UNHCR Pakistan is home to 1.3 registered Afghan refugees. Over 1.4 million refugees have PoR (Proof of Registration) cards. Through UNHCR only PoR cards holders can get donor funds.

Pakistan has been helping Afghan refugees, but is continuously facing difficulties in getting funds to support them. Pakistan is mainly receiving funds from United States and European Union. Since 2012, Pakistan has procured $273 million in financial assistance from US to support Afghan refugees residing in Pakistan. In 2022 US gave $60 million to Pakistan to help refugees. The EU has provided €18.5 million in humanitarian to Afghan refugees in 2023 and €138 million since 2016.

Many other countries are also hosting refugees as people are forced to leave their countries due to conflicts. Turkiye, Spain and Australia majorly hosting refugees. Turkiye is a member of the 1951 Refugee Convention and is currently hosting more than 4 million refugees including approximately 3.3 million Syrian refugees. The European Union is continuously providing funds to help Turkiye overcome the burden of refugees. Since 2011 the EU has allocated nearly €10 billion to Turkiye to support refugees. The main focus of the budget of the facility is Humanitarian aid, socioeconomic support, education, health, migration management and municipal infrastructure. Besides that, EU mobilized additional humanitarian support in 2020 and allocated €3 billion budget for the period of 2021-2023.

Since 2022, Spain is hosting fourth largest strength with over 136,000 refugees mostly from Ukraine and the government of Spain has allocated €1.4 billion to refugee programs. The European Union is providing financial assistance to countries accepting Ukraine refugees including Spain through the Emergency Assistance for Ukraine (EUAF) initiative that covers the basic necessities of Ukrainian refugees. UNHCR is also assisting the Spanish government through substantial financial assistance. In 2022, Australia welcomed refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Venezuela, and South Sudan. Australia has welcomed over 200,000 refugees under the Humanitarian Program as of June 2023.The government of Australia allocated $1.9 billion for the Humanitarian Program. Australia also provided $189.2 million to UNHCR to support the UNHCR programmes worldwide.

Pakistan has done a wonderful job hosting millions of Afghan refugees despite tougher political problems and a weak economy.

Pakistan has managed to host millions of Afghan refugees admirably in spite of difficult political issues. The financial situation of the country had been under pressure due to limited resources which meant that Pakistan had limited resources to provide refugees with proper housing, education, healthcare etc. Pakistan is grappling with the following challenges in securing funding for Afghan refugees.

Firstly, the lack of adherence to International legal standards. Pakistan has neither signed the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention relating to the status of refugees nor its 1967 protocol, and has not enacted any laws about refugees or asylum seekers. From the past 40 years Pakistan has not made any proper rules and regulations related to Afghan refugees due to lack of political stability, lack of consensus among the political parties and lack of comprehensive refugee policy. The Foreigners Act of 1946 and the Foreigners Order of 1951 are the sole pieces of Pakistan’s legislation about refugees, which provide that all foreign nationals without proper documentation may face arrest, detention and even deportation.

Developing clear refugee laws can improve Pakistan’s ability to support and integrate Afghan refugees effectively

Australia, Spain, and Turkiye are signatories to 1951 Refugee Convention. Pakistan should also create national laws about asylum seekers and create specific Refugee Laws that comply with global norms, such as the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. In this way, it will be easier for Pakistan to establish a formal framework for protection of refugees while defining their rights, obligations and their legal status. Passing refugee laws will help Pakistan maintain a structured Data for them. These laws will help Pakistan in managing the movement of people across the Pakistan-Afghan border. The Coordinators of refugees in the US Embassy can engage in important talks with important stakeholders from UNHCR, Pakistan and Afghan government and other donor states to discuss the policy gaps. Such a dialogue may hold efficacy for Pakistan to secure funds for refugees.

The Government of Pakistan should keep reviewing the PoR cards without any delays. Refugees with PoR cards will have access to basic facilities like funds, healthcare, education etc. In order to incorporate the Afghan refugees into the camps and subsequently further integrate them into society, Pakistan must develop an indigenous refugee model, maintaining the precise data on the number of refugees, allowing the Government to collect the portion of total financing from the international community.

Greater International cooperation and financial aid are essential to reduce the heavy burden on Pakistan and ensure Afghan refugees receive proper care

Geopolitical factors are also responsible for funding decisions, particularly if donors link aid to political issues. The world community has turned its attention and financing towards the war-torn regions because of continuous political crises, such as the conflict in Ukraine and the Israel-Palestine conflict. Consequently, there has been a prolonged humanitarian crises affecting Afghan refugees in Pakistan and as a result, their needs have been frequently overlooked. Financial aid and resources have occasionally been diverted from addressing the ongoing difficulties encountered by Afghan refugees due to the high profile wars, which may have an impact on the vital services and support needed for their integration into Pakistan and general well-being. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2014 US has pledged more than $46.7 billion between 2014 and October 2023, in security assistance to help Ukraine preserve its territorial integrity and secure its borders.

Pakistan has been hosting refugees for decades and is facing numerous challenges. Supporting Pakistan in managing the refugee situation is crucial for regional stability. If refugee crises continue, it could create problems in the entire region. International donors must help Pakistan and make sure that needs of the refugees are adequately met in consonance with the economic conditions of Pakistan. They must also contribute more to the UN’s plan for Afghan refugees in Pakistan so that the burden can be minimized on the Government of Pakistan. Addressing these challenges will contribute to the regional peace and stability and ring a plausible end to Afghan refugee crises.