PRESS BRIEFING ON AFGHANISTAN BY UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES

PRESS BRIEFING ON AFGHANISTAN BY UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES

The worst-case scenario for refugee outflow was one and a half million people, said Ruud Lubbers, High Commissioner for Refugees, at a Headquarters press briefing this afternoon on recent developments in Afghanistan.

Immediately after the events of 11 September, emergency teams had been sent to prepare for such a situation in Afghanistan, he said.  It had been calculated that most refugees would attempt to reach Pakistan.  He had negotiated with the Governments of both Pakistan and Iran in order to ensure their acceptance of fresh outflows of new refugees.  Both Governments were reluctant to see more refugees in their respective countries, and some official border crossings had been closed.  A temporary protection regime had been negotiated, which meant that accommodation would be made available at the borders to ensure, when the time was right, the return of the refugees. 

At this point, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was prepared for numbers between 100,000 and 200,000 refugees.  One problem had been the closed borders, which had forced many people to enter Pakistan through mountain roads, trickling into the country.  The number of refugees entering illegally was gradually increasing, he said.  A week ago the first 50,000-mark had been recorded.  These people were not given shelter in the new sites; most had gone to relatives in Pakistan or to old refugee campsites where they had been refugees in the past. 

The next round was to discuss the need for more flexibility with the Governments of Pakistan and Iran at the formal border points.  The number of refugees had increased as a result of the intensive bombing, he said.  However, it was important to remember that the large majority was fleeing into the countryside and into the mountains, staying clear of the borders.

Another aspect of the situation in Afghanistan was funding, he said.  In theory it was generous, but in practice, it was too slow.  There was not enough time to wait for the dollars to come in.  He was hoping that the “USA for UNHCR” publicity campaign would encourage individuals to show their generosity, since governments were very slow.  Anjelina Jolie, a recently appointed UNHCR goodwill ambassador, had already donated one million dollars to this cause.

When asked by a correspondent if it was truly possible to help the Afghans with the lack of personnel on the ground, he said that the UNHCR was not the only organization involved, and mentioned the work of The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and The World Food Programme (WFP).  Even though United Nations staff had been pulled out for security reasons and because of the difficulties with the Taliban regime, much could be done.  The United Nations had always worked with nationals, he said, and gave a rough estimate of one international worker to four nationals.  In fact, there were quite a few people on the ground.  The Red Cross on its own had more than a thousand people in Afghanistan.

A correspondent asked about United Nations reports from Baluchistan stating that 3,500 people a day were crossing the border and whether this was the beginning of a critical phase.  Mr. Lubbers explained that to protect people it was necessary for the Governments of Pakistan and Iran to be more generous in

opening their borders.  The number of refugees was rising, he said, and he expected an exponential growth in their number.  

Asked whether UNHCR was ready for this exponential rise in the number of refugees, he said that with the cooperation of the Iranian and Pakistani Governments, they could bring thousands of people across the borders in an orderly fashion.  The critical point was not the preparedness of UNHCR but the cooperation of the Government of Pakistan at the borders. 

A correspondent asked if the number of estimated refugees had been too high.  Mr. Lubbers said that UNHCR always had to be prepared for a worst-case scenario.  Sites and shelters had been prepared in stages aiming for the worst-case scenario.  Indications these days showed that this had been the right decision.  More than 100,000 people were fleeing Afghanistan, but knowing that the borders were closed, many of them fled within the country or to mountain sites.  Before the events of 11 September there had been an estimated 1 million to 1.5 million internally displaced people in Afghanistan.  At this point, he estimated that there were an additional 250,000 internally displaced.

Asked if other bordering countries had closed their borders, he said that the border to Uzbekistan was also closed.  The borders to Turkmenistan and Tajikistan were still open.  UNHCR would have the capability to receive 30,000 people in those areas.  However, given the presence of the Northern Alliance, there had been less of an outflow of refugees, probably since these areas had not been targeted in the bombings. 

A correspondent asked for an elaboration on negotiations with Pakistan on border crossings.  Mr. Lubbers said that he had explained to the Government of Pakistan that the situation as it was could not go on, and Pakistan had accepted limited entry at the border points.  But Pakistan's dilemma was a fear of too many refugees -- hence the reluctance to invite refugees to the country.  It was a balancing act for Pakistan, and he would continue to stress that it was better for Pakistan to receive refugees in an orderly and organized way, using the new sites, than receiving illegal refugees who were not accounted for. 

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