POLICY BRIEF Afghanistan: Response to Forced Returnees Hamzah

This policy brief will explore the response initiated by the de facto authorities from an instituti- onal perspective, the meeting of the immediate and long-term needs, the caseload, and efforts to engage the private sector, as well as address challenges that have arisen related to the response so far. [...] Response beyond the Caseload of Returnees from Pakistan In addition to the specific response to the forced returnee caseload from Pakistan, the de facto authorities in Kandahar and Kabul seem to have tried to use this sudden need for a more coherent approach to dealing with returnees to try to set up a more comprehensive system that can also serve the returnees from Iran, Turkey, and those repatri. [...] Rather than just focusing on the returnees, it appears that the de facto authorities have used the impetus from addressing the needs of the returnees to try to broaden some of the initiatives for other groups. [...] For example, cognizant of the impact of the returnees on the economy, the de facto authorities increased their outreach to the business community to both solicit its support and to work with returning businessmen and small business owners to integrate them into the Afghan economy. [...] The Returnee Crisis and its Impact on Migration Trends Despite the efforts by the de facto authorities to find a comprehensive approach to address the integration of this large caseload, there are genuine concerns that the forced returnee crisis will lead to a further increase in the outmigration crisis of Afghans towards Europe and beyond.