Editorial: Returnees need assured livelihoods on their return

Mr Antonio Guterres, the newly appointed United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, arrived in Kabul on November 22. During the visit – his first to our country since his appointment - the commissioner promised Afghan president Hamed Karzai that he would cooperate with the government in assisting the return of Afghan refugees and providing a livelihood for them. According to media reports, there are currently just under three million Afghans living in Pakistani camps, and one million in Iran. Officials say nearly three million Afghans have returned home so far and are now earning a living. It is the first time that the people and the government of Afghanistan have experienced the return of refugees since the fall of the Taleban regime. The refugees who have returned home over the past four years are currently facing many challenges – chief among them a shortage of accommodation, the high rate of unemployment and the lack of security. But the refugees must return, and they have the right to take part in the reconstruction process.