TALKING POINTS

Update on the Loya Jirga

Phase II has been concluded in Mazar, Bamyan, Ghazni and Jalalabad. It is ongoing in Herat, Kabul and in the Kunduz/Logar area. It commences today in Kandahar.

As of yesterday, 448 delegates have been elected in phase II throughout the country. That is not only in the main regional phase II large gatherings but also in the phase II meetings held at the district levels. We do not have the precise number of women who have been elected among these 448, however, the indication that I have as of last night is that 14 of them have been elected. That is in addition to the 160 seats set aside for women apart from the election process.

Emerging flooding situation in Kapisa

Today, the French NGO, ACTED together with the Afghan Red Crescent Society are distributing non-food items to families affected by recent flooding in the Province of Kapisa. The NGOs, in co-ordination with UNAMA are also assessing the damage looking in particular at the need for gambions. (Large stone walls surrounded by wire mesh which form a type of dam).

This follows an assessment conducted on Thursday by UNAMA's Area Coordinator and the Provincial Governor. At least 40 jeribs (8 hectares) of wheat fields have already been flooded with more being submerged under water, causing major risks to the harvest. 12 families have left their homes already due to the houses been flooded and foundations in risk of breaking down, and an additional 50 families in the nearest village are at risk of being evacuated from their houses if the river continues to rise.

The emerging situation affects a village named Sayad, in the south-western parts of the province, bordering Parwan, a location where the rivers of Panjchir, Salang and Gorband meet. Here the river has swelled in size due to melting of snow from the mountains and changed course some 60-100 meters threatening to flood the nearby village. In addition rains in the Panjchir valley has further raised water levels.

The river is indeed expected to rise further 0due to increased snow melting, eventually turning the emerging but containable problem, into an emergency for the village.

Special food assistance is not necessary at the moment. Those affected families have moved in with relatives.

ILO and the Ministry of Women's Affairs

Computer courses begin this morning at the Computer Training Centre, Ministry of Women's Affairs, opened by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The computer courses will be run for both staff of the Ministry and women from outside. There are 20 students per class, with two classes per day. They will be taught by IT specialist recruited locally in Kabul.

ILO will also begin English Language courses this week in the Ministry.

ILO has is re-establishing a programme in Afghanistan after a break of 8 years. The office opened on 1 April. This is the second such programme, replicating a similar project with the Ministry of Labour. (30 men and women, English and computing, daily, six days per week)

World Environment Day - 5 June

This Wednesday, 5 June is World Environment Day all over the world and here in Kabul it will be commemorated by the Environment Conservation Center for Afghanistan (ECFA) in cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The World Environment Day event for Afghanistan will be held at the University of Kabul. There will also be an exhibit at the university. More details in a hand-out is available at the back of the room.

IOM - Closes Afghan transport project due to lack of funding - Iain Patterson

IOM has been forced to suspend indefinitely its Afghan internal transport network due to lack of funding. The network provided transport for refugees from Iran and internally displaced people returning to their homes from IDP camps across the country.

Consultations with partners are ongoing to minimize the impact of the suspension, which has provided return transport for over 250,000 Afghans so far this year.

In particular, solutions need to be found for refugees returning home from Iran via the Islamqala border crossing point near Herat. These are crossing into Afghanistan at a rate of 2,500 a day and an estimated 500,000 are expected to return this year.

Several donors have responded sympathetically to IOM's appeal. But the total response has not been sufficient to ensure the survival of the programme, however, new donor support will allow IOM to lift the suspension of its care and maintenance activities in the IDP camps in the north and west of the country, to allow a gradual handover of the function to other agencies in the coming months.

The reason behind IOM's dramatic scaling back of its Afghan programme is that unlike many inter-governmental agencies, its operational funding is entirely project-based. Under its existing constitution, it cannot draw on reserves or run into deficit.

The Return of Qualified Afghans programme, despite widespread international acclaim, also faces suspension unless additional funding is found in the coming weeks. The programme, designed to bring back Afghan professionals living abroad to participate in rebuilding the country. To date 227 people have return to 14 Ministries and 20 NGOs.

UNHCR update on returnees - Ragnhild Ek

UNHCR has come under additional financial pressure following IOM's suspension of its transportation network programme for IDPs and returnees from Iran. A week ago, UNHCR took over assistance for the Afghan refugees returning from Iran who travel along the Southern ring road to destinations further east, replacing organised transport with a system of cash grants. UNHCR already carries out return operations for IDPS in the south and east.

Now UNHCR will also have to take over the transportation of returnees to home areas in the northwest , as well as IDPs in the western, northern, and central regions. UNHCR offices in those areas are currently drawing up alternative plans for the most urgent IDP return operations. They are also costing the return of the 200,000 to 300,000 IDPs we expect to return yet this year. It is too early to say how much more money UNHCR will need for this, although it will be cash that is missing from the picture now.

The high number of returnees continues, with no indications of any slowdown. Wednesday 29 May, saw the highest daily number of returns since the repatriation operation began on 1 March as 21,571 returnees crossed to Afghanistan. The average daily return rate during this past month was 13,000 people.

Severe security measures taken by Pakistani authorities, mostly in urban centres, may play an increasing role in people's decision to return now. There are a growing number of complaints of harassment as well as a growing number of deportations. Last Thursday, 30 May, 130 Afghans were deported via Torkham from Pakistan. The majority claimed to have been detained on their way to Takthabaigh Registration Center outside Peshawar, or in the town itself.

Following a flare-up of fighting on 31 May between two armed factions in Zaranj, the south-western corner of Afghanistan, the repatriation through the southern exit route from Iran is currently suspended. Fighting reached some 500 meters from UNHCRs field unit and one stray bullet hit UNHCR's premises, where there are currently four national staff. Nobody at UNHCR was injured.

Through yesterday, 840,000 returnees have come back to Afghanistan since 1 March. The great majority, some 770,000, have returned from Pakistan, over 61,000 from Iran and some 10,000 from Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

A total of 411,425 Afghan refugees returned from the neighbouring countries during the month of May: 374,051 came from Pakistan, 37,134 from Iran and 240 from Tajikistan. A total of 297,552 Afghans returned during April and 121,801 Afghans returned during March 2002.

WFP - Alejandro Chicheri

Pipeline constraints and level of assistance
WFP Emergency Operation in Afghanistan currently faces a shortfall of 215,400 tons of food worth approximately USD 123 million or 43 per cent of the total requirements. Consequently, the food pipeline situation has not improved and has resulted in the continued suspension of project activities by implementing partners.

WFP Area Offices are continuing to implement programmes, now based on new priorities imposed by the pipeline shortage. Measures have been taken to scale down distributions, some Food for Work (FFW) rehabilitation projects have been suspended, returning refugees and IDPs are now receiving a third of their re-settlement packages, and food assistance to civil servants may be curtailed in the near future.

Returning Refugees Assistance
IDPs and refugees are now receiving reduced rations. A family' three month ration of 150 kg has been reduced to 50 kg per family. During last week, nearly 5,000 families returned from Pakistan through Pul-I-Charkhi encashment centre near Kabul. All families were provided with a reduced food ration of 50 Kg of rice due to the pipeline problem.

ACF clinics reported a 10per cent increase in malnutrition admissions among the IDP and Refugee population in the Central Area. The rate, which was 2.5 per cent in April rose to 12.5 as of last week. MSF also reported increased incidence of malnutrition and typhoid cases in Pul-I-Charkhi encashment centre near Kabul.

Since March 2002, nearly 57,000 families have been assisted to return from Pakistan through Pul-I-Charkhi. 80 per cent of the total WFP resources allocated to help returning refugees have been distributed in this Centre. If we do not receive significant cash contributions soon, we are concerned about our continued ability to assist with the return of the refugees.

Questions & Answers

Q: Have there been anymore reports of violence or arrests associated with the Loya Jirga process and also are you expecting the selection election process to finish on time?
Spokesman: I don't have any specific case to give you of a specific arrest, on the contrary, I did here today of someone (unfortunately, I do not have the name) who had been arrested in the west having been released, that is not to say that the process does not have its difficulties as we have pointed out before and we expect to conclude phase II in all areas by 5 June.

Q: A week before the Loya Jirga begins now, how encouraged is the UN by a) the process so far and b) the security in Kabul?
Spokesman: The security in Kabul, we are very encouraged, [there is] a very close cooperation between Afghan security mechanisms, in particular, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Defense and ISAF. They meet regularly, they have drawn up their plans and they have already started and will continue to work throughout the Loya Jirga itself.

We don't yet have a clear picture about the delegates, of course, because the process is still ongoing with phase II. I have given you the numbers of those elected. I think we have to look at this as a process. In my view, you had first the Bonn Talks which brought together a number of Afghans from different factions. Was it absolutely representative of Afghanistan, no it was not, but it was what was possible then. How do you compare that with the Loya Jirga , no comparison, it is undoubtedly much more representative. You have had thousands and thousands of Afghans participating. It is an aspect that is not often talked about, but I think it is important. The number of people that are called war lords or people who have been involved in all kinds of activities, rather than ignoring the process, people want to be part of the process. They have seen what the population is telling all of us. The population does not want those years of conflict and destruction. They see the Loya Jirga as an opportunity, as a path to leave that behind and really move ahead. As I said, this is just a process. The process foresees in some two years time general elections which, hopefully, will be much more representative than anything that we have had so far. Let us look at this as a process not as just a snapshot.

Q: We were told that there was an explosion yesterday before noon in the Loya Jirga compound do you have more information on that?
Spokesman: Here in Kabul?
Q cont: Of course here in Kabul. ISAF was called and some ISAF people came in. The tent was blown up.
ISAF: I am sorry, I was asked if there was an explosion and we have heard nothing.
Q cont: It was around 11 o'clock in the morning.
Spokesman: You had better recheck your sources, because if ISAF, in charge of security, says that there was no explosion, I have not heard of it, you may have heard something, but it is not related to the Loya Jirga. That was two days ago in Kandahar.
Q cont: I heard it was at the Technical University of Kabul.
Spokesman: I have not heard of it.

Q: Bearing in mind the process, Ishmalhan, Prolaga, the former King, various government Ministers have been having a meeting over the last couple of days basically deciding what they want to see the Loya Jirga do is reappoint the Karzai government with a bit of shuffling of seats. Is there a danger that the Loya Jirga might be seen as a rubber stamp before a decision is taken by traditional method?
Spokesman: I don't know. What I can tell you is that in any political process, and again let us try to put things into perspective. Where in the world don't you see political leaders getting together and discussing alternatives? I think it is very natural and good that people discuss. That they don't use their weapons, that they leave their weapons far away and forget about those years of conflict and fighting in this country and get engaged into a political process which is what the Loya Jirga is.