Kabul, 13 November. Afghanistan faces a housing and land rights challenge of critical proportions. The situation is particular dire for refugee returnees and displaced persons, many of whom are living in open spaces and in urban informal settlements facing eviction and violence. Meeting this challenge in accessing land, tenure security and housing is a critical stepping stone towards the durable solutions and the reintegration of the returnees and IDPs in Afghanistan.

The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has committed to ‘ensuring a better future for our refugees, returning migrants and internally displaced people’ in its National Peace and Development Framework (ANPDF 2017-2021). One of the key priorities of the Government is improving access to land and adequate housing to support the durable solutions and reintegration process which is reflected as Goal 4 of its Policy Framework for Returnees and IDPs (2017).

UN-Habitat, the UN agency responsible for sustainable urbanization is assisting the Government in a) developing the legal framework and b) establishing a reintegration process through an area-based implementation of the Sustainable Human Settlements in Urban Areas to support Reintegration in Afghanistan (SHURA) programme.

For the past two years, UN-Habitat as the chair of the Housing, Land and Property Taskforce (HLP-TF), has been providing technical support to ARAZI, the Afghanistan Land Authority; the Ministry of Returnees and Repatriation (MoRR); President and Chief Executive’s Office to develop a legal framework to improve access to suitable state. The partnership culminated in the approval of the groundbreaking Presidential Decree 305 on the Identification and Allocation of State Land to Returnees and IDPs by the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in August 2018. The process is currently underway for the drafting of the related Implementing Guidelines to operationalize the decree.

In parallel to this legislative development, the Government has launched the Sustainable Human Settlements in Urban Areas to support Reintegration in Afghanistan (SHURA) programme to ensure the provision of quality land, housing and security tenure for IDPs and returnees. This area-based intervention is intended to unlock the humanitarian-development nexus potentials. This initiative is funded by the Government of Denmark and the European Union.

The Government, in close cooperation with the United Nations family – ONE UN, including; UNHCR, IOM and UN-Habitat, had a first meeting of the Steering Committee undertaking for advancing the implementation of the Programme. Progress has been reported in two levels: The identification of land for the reintegration beneficiaries. The Afghanistan Land Authority (ARAZI), has inventoried 19,000 hectares of State Land in the provinces of high return and displacement and is working towards the finalization land clearance and establishment of  a Land Bank database for this purpose. The second development, regards a database system and equipment for the beneficiary selection and registration. IOM, the UN International Organization for Migration, is technically supporting the government in the creation of this database. In the meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR), is responding to  emergency assistance in the field.

The SHURA flagship program is also delivering a key outcome of the implementation of the Urban National Priority program pillar for reintegration and adequate housing for Afghan citizens. The cost and approach bench-marks will advise the national scale-up.

Planned urban areas, with adequate housing and the provision of basic services for all, are a prerequisite for development and prosperity. Afghan cities already account for more than 50 per cent of the GDP, much as the vast majority of Afghan urbanization is informal. With programmes such as SHURA, the government will not only ensure decent living conditions for previously displaced Afghans, but it will also create opportunities for an inclusive and prosperous future for its population.