Briefing

Urban; Policy and planning

Keywords:
Forced displacement, internally
displaced people (IDPs), rural-urban
linkages, urban crises, livelihoods

Issue date
January 2024

Policy Displaced people in Afghanistan’s

pointers cities need support
Ethical and inclusive There are over 3.2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Afghanistan,
humanitarian efforts, with
appropriate safeguards, along with a large number of returnees: half a million Afghans were forcibly
should extend beyond returned from Pakistan between October and December 2023 alone. Forced
immediate crisis response
to embrace sustainable evictions have also impacted IDPs in informal settlements across Afghan cities.
urban planning for The pressures to return call for new approaches to durable solutions. In this
long-term recovery and
resilience. context, stakeholders must invest in urban planning for cities to become spaces of
inclusion. In 2021 and 2022, we conducted two rounds of research in Kabul and
Focused economic help
integrating health services Jalalabad, which revealed an economic collapse that is forcing displaced men,
in cities is required, given women and children to work longer hours to survive. This takes a toll on social
the sharp decline in city
residents’ livelihoods and relations. and bodily and mental wellbeing, reflecting a loss of hope for the future.
psychosocial indicators
since 2021. In light of these findings, urgent humanitarian aid is required, alongside continuous
monitoring, to adapt to emerging needs.
A gendered lens is key.
Interventions to support
home-based livelihoods Afghans have survived displacement and returns directly impacted the many IDPs and returnees
and spaces for women to for decades. The prevailing response has been who had been displaced due to previous disasters
socialise should be either encampment or forced evictions, overlooking and conflict. They now have to start over again.
prioritised. the significant contributions displaced Afghans More displacement is projected, given the decision
have made to the growth of the cities where they by the Government of Pakistan to return all
Spaces for engagement have resided, be it in Afghanistan or abroad.1 Afghans in a phased process and the threats of
are needed. Our
participatory forum
eviction handed to IDPs in informal settlements
Afghanistan has one of the largest populations of
process sets an example across the country.
internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the world.
to build on localised urban
planning and durable
Nearly 6.6 million people were living in internal In Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran, camps or
solutions discussions. displacement in Afghanistan as of December designated areas have multiplied in an effort to
2022,2 a number that has decreased to 3.2 million manage a growing population of displaced people.
according to the latest UNHCR estimates.3 When millions of refugees returned to
Pressure by the de facto authorities for IDPs to Afghanistan after the US-led invasion of 2001, the
return to their areas of origin and departures by Government of the Islamic Republic of
IDPs to neighbouring countries contributed to the Afghanistan, with international support,
drop in numbers. responded by creating a land allocation scheme to
be set up by the Ministry of Refugees and
Multiple disasters have impacted those already
Repatriation to address landlessness and provide
displaced and created new displacement patterns:
a home for Afghans to return to. Presidential
the deportation of Afghan nationals from Pakistan
Decree 104 was meant to legalise the distribution
continues, after half a million were deported in the
of government land to landless returnees and
autumn/winter of 2023 alone, and a series of
IDPs, but as research has shown, these areas
earthquakes in Herat province in October 2023
turned into new forms of camps without access to

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IIED Briefing

sustainable water, electricity or basic services.4 Figure 1). We observed a decrease in the stability
The growing population of IDPs also led to the of household income: 60% of the displaced report
creation of informal settlements around an always unstable income in round 2, against
Our participatory the country’s major cities. only 30% in round 1. At the same time, their ability
to borrow has also substantially decreased,
forum revealed the The purpose of our research was to
compare the lives of those living in these
leaving them with no options to cover basic needs.

possibility of camps and those living in informal

settlements in urban areas (see Box 1).
More people in households are working, and not
all of these additional earners are adults.
planning for local The research findings are structured
Households increasingly rely on children as
income earners to cope with economic
integration around the frameworks of wellbeing and
displacement economies.5 We broke down
challenges. This trend was particularly
pronounced among displaced urban households,
the concept of wellbeing into five components
where 12% of households included children
— bodily, social, economic, political and
among their income earners in 2022. Women
psychosocial — and derived scores for each
often rely on their children to sell their products
component for people who participated in the
outside their homes, and minors are also paid for
survey. We also developed a displacement
small tasks in workshops and other businesses,
economies framework to assess the collective
such as obtaining customers for rickshaw drivers.
economy created by displaced persons through
These tasks may involve children accompanying
their livelihood activities, enterprise, need for
their mothers and assisting with marketing and
services and consumption, and through their
sales activities.
mutual support and diaspora inputs. We gathered
qualitative and quantitative data from Afghan IDPs, Reduced and unstable income, more
returnees and hosts from two sites: dangerous jobs
• Majboor Abad, a neighbourhood in Jalalabad
While people report working more to cope with
city near the border with Pakistan, and
the challenging economic situation, the data
• The displaced settlement of Barikab near Kabul. shows that it might not be enough: fewer people
are likely to report being able to cover their
We collected the first round of data from 889
household expenses with income from work. The
households in the winter of 2021, and the second
situation is particularly alarming in the city, where
round targeted the same respondents, reaching
only 7% of the displaced and 12% of hosts report
524 households in August 2022. We
being able to cover expenses with income from
supplemented the surveys with qualitative
work in the second round of data collection — a
interviews and analysis of wellbeing and livelihoods.
stark decrease from 2021.
What did we find? The data reveals a significant shift in employment
Widespread needs across all dynamics, characterised by an increase in labour
locations and groups participation among men and women in 2022.
This surge indicates a determined effort by the
Our data shows evidence of a generalised population, especially women, to seek economic
deteriorating financial situation: 52% of the urban opportunities. Men have lost their jobs and
displaced in 2022 reported a very difficult shifted to informal jobs like selling vegetables or
situation, against only 14% in round 1 (see driving, often resulting in unstable incomes.
Women, constrained by educational and sectoral
Box 1. Out of camp or out of sight? limitations, express a desire to start home-based
enterprises despite the challenges.
Protracted Displacement in an Urban World (PDUW) was a comparative mixed
The Livelihood Outcomes Index, which combines
methods research project focusing on the wellbeing and livelihoods of
objective data like working hours and contract
displaced people in camps and urban areas in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya and
status with subjective assessments of job
Jordan. It had three main aims:
satisfaction, points to a general decline in job
• To build an evidence base on the opportunities and challenges of hosting quality. This is particularly evident in our data in
displaced people in camps compared with urban areas the Majboor Abad settlement in Jalalabad, where
•
dissatisfaction and unsafe working conditions
To assess current responses to protracted displacement in towns and cities
have increased. Dissatisfaction among workers
and to raise awareness of unmet needs and economic contributions of
has risen sharply, with 34% of urban displaced
refugees and IDPs, and
and 24% of hosts reporting dissatisfaction with
• To support municipal authorities and other local actors to use participatory their jobs. Declining job quality is further
planning to co-produce innovative and inclusive solutions to forced evidenced by increased reports of unsafe
displacement in cities. working conditions, especially among the urban
IIED Briefing

displaced. The sense of unfair remuneration is

Figure 1. Current household financial situation
widespread; a significant majority of urban
displaced (65%) and hosts (68%) feel underpaid
in 2022, a dramatic increase from the previous Displaced Round 1 16.3 54.7 6.1 22.9

year. The analysis reveals deteriorating job (camp) Round 2 40.4 45.3 4.0 9.3 0.9
security as the proportion of employed
respondents with work contracts in Barikab Displaced Round 1 14.0 51.5 3.8 29.6 1.1
settlement plummeted, and reports of workplace (urban) Round 2 52.6 37.3 3.8 5.7 0.5
abuse rose across all groups.
Round 1 6.4 43.6 7.1 37.2 5.8
Declining health and growing Host
pessimism Round 2 34.4 54.4 2.2 8.9

The hardships endured by respondents, coupled

with limited financial capacity, have led to a 0 20 40 60 80 100
marked deterioration in their overall health. This Percentage of households
trend is particularly pronounced among male
respondents in Majboor Abad, where self-reported Very difficult Difficult Neutral Comfortable Very comfortable
poor health status has more than doubled, from
15% in the first round to 36% in the second. For
also indicates the informal character of work in
women, the situation was already grave in the first
Afghanistan will continue, as survival is at stake.
round, with over half of displaced women in
Majboor Abad reporting poor or very poor health. Women make less money, have lower income
stability and are financially worse off. They are
Healthcare accessibility and affordability are
much less likely to be able to cover their
significant concerns, both in the camp and urban
household expenses through income from work.
settings, as residents grapple with worsening
In 2021, 78% of female-headed households from
health conditions. Many individuals do not have
our data reported being able to borrow money
enough income to buy the medication they need,
— this number dropped to only 36% in 2022.
leading to the neglect of essential medical
treatments. In Barikab settlement, the only health The impact of limiting livelihoods and
clinic available is inadequately equipped and has entrepreneurship extends beyond economics to
reduced operational hours, further exacerbating social and psychosocial effects. Male
healthcare challenges. entrepreneurs reported that their businesses
were community hubs for interaction and
Respondents are pessimistic about their future. In
discussion, often with community leaders. Female
the first round, female respondents were more
entrepreneurs experienced reduced isolation,
optimistic, with only 10% anticipating a decline in
forming networks and gaining community
their quality of life, compared to 26% of men.
respect. Women’s businesses foster community
However, this outlook had shifted dramatically by
among women, although they face stricter
2022, with 56% of women and 49% of men
scrutiny, as evidenced by an IDP representative’s
expecting their lives to worsen in the coming year.
account of public criticism of young girls visiting a
The data reflects a deepening despair regarding
shop without observing traditional hijab, leading
the future of children; in 2022, 35% of both men
to a shift in clientele to married women only.
and women feared worsening living conditions for
their children, a significant increase from the first Female livelihoods are not
round. This loss of hope and the prevailing belief ‘crisis-proof’
that their situation will remain unaddressed reflect
the profound impact of the ongoing crisis on the In areas like Barikab, women’s livelihoods have
community’s mental and emotional wellbeing. historically relied on loans from neighbours and
relatives, supplemented by NGO support. This
Increasing female workforce support, once a cornerstone of their economic
(before further restrictions) stability, is diminishing. NGOs previously provided
business and skills training tailored to
More women were working in 2022 than in 2021:
gender-specific professions — women learned
In Barikab, only 4% of female respondents
tailoring, while men trained in mechanics. Small
worked in the pre-Taliban period, compared to
grants and initial supplies for business start-ups
17% afterwards. In Majboor Abad, 7% of female
were also part of this support system. However,
respondents worked in the pre-Taliban period,
these measures have proved insufficient for
compared to 14% afterwards. While this data
ensuring business sustainability, with many women
predates the Taliban’s increasingly severe
entrepreneurs seeking more extended support.
restrictions on women’s employment, the data
IIED Briefing

In Barikab, the dependency of female aid strategies. The focus must shift to providing
entrepreneurs on male relatives for purchasing immediate economic assistance and healthcare
supplies and selling products underscores a access to all, particularly those whose livelihoods
significant challenge. Women face difficulties in are not ‘crisis-proof’. This includes women who
negotiating contracts due to restrictions on their have historically relied on dwindling NGO support
Knowledge
mobility, including prohibitions on travelling or and now face increased barriers to sustaining Products
visiting the market alone. This not only increases their businesses.
transportation costs, as they must pay for both
Enhance urban planning and inclusion. A The International Institute
themselves and an escort but also limits their for Environment and
collaborative and realistic approach with
operational scope and profitability. The absence of Development (IIED)
municipalities and de facto authorities, together
female staff in administrative institutions effectively promotes sustainable
with humanitarian and development agencies, is development, linking local
bars women from accessing essential business
essential to improving urban planning. Our priorities to global
services, such as registering their enterprise or
findings indicate a sharp decline in job security, challenges.
obtaining permits. Taliban laws further restrict their
income stability and health, compounded by an Samuel Hall is a social
travel, particularly impacting displaced female
increase in unsafe working conditions and a enterprise that conducts
entrepreneurs in remote settlements.
growing sense of hopelessness about the future. research in countries
However, the barriers faced by these women are In this context, urban planning should prioritise affected by issues of
not solely institutional. Societal norms and family creating economic and social spaces that actively migration and
displacement.
dynamics also play a crucial role in limiting engage women and youth, acknowledging their
PDUW is a comparative
women’s economic activities. Many are confined unique needs and contributions. The proposed research project on the
to working within their homes, subject to the women-only bazaars, for instance, could be a wellbeing, livelihoods and
dictates of male relatives who determine the type step towards this, provided they are effectively enterprises of displaced
and scope of permissible work, often to the integrated into broader city planning and people in urban areas and
detriment of business potential. Educational economic strategies. camps in Afghanistan,
Ethiopia, Kenya and Jordan.
limitations further restrict women’s access to
Advocate for the rights of displaced people.
essential resources, such as the internet and basic
The de facto authorities’ emphasis on evicting and
business management knowledge and tools. Contact
relocating IDPs highlights the need for a dialogue
Lucy Earle
While the Jalalabad authorities have expressed encompassing all stakeholders, including [email protected]
interest in establishing a women-only bazaar to displaced people, to ensure their rights to legal
facilitate the selling and purchasing of goods, this documentation and housing. While return remains 44 Southampton Buildings
London, WC2A 1AP
initiative must be critically assessed. It needs to a preferred policy for those in power, our United Kingdom
consider women’s limited financial capabilities, the participatory forum revealed a consensus among
Tel: +44 (0)20 3463 7399
need to balance productive and care work, and IDPs and municipal stakeholders on the viability of www.iied.org
the existing mobility limitations, to evaluate the local integration. Technical support to develop local
sustainability and effectiveness of such integration plans is crucial to turn consensus into IIED welcomes feedback
via: @IIED and
segregated solutions. reality. This should not only focus on immediate www.facebook.com/theiied
relocation plans but also on long-term strategies to
Looking forward: engaging in a monitor the rights of IDPs, assessing the social and ISBN 978-1-83759-075-9
pragmatic search for local solutions environmental impacts of such initiatives.
Our research reveals that the situation for We conclude with a final call for a more Protracted Displacement in
displaced persons in Afghanistan, particularly in pragmatic approach to working with an Urban World was funded
urban settings, demands urgent and pragmatic municipalities and the de facto authorities to by UK Research and
Innovation through the
action.6 We brought together municipal enhance urban planning and plan for economic Global Challenges
stakeholders in participatory planning forums to and social spaces to engage with women and Research Fund programme,
discuss solutions for better inclusion of the youth. Technical support is needed to develop the IKEA Foundation, the
displaced in the city. these plans further, to build alternative plans for Swiss Agency for
those being displaced, and, more broadly, to Development and
The participatory planning forum participants Cooperation and the
monitor their rights and assess the social and Bernard van Leer
highlighted three critical messages:
environmental impacts of these initiatives. Foundation.
Rethinking aid in times of widespread need.
Nassim Majidi and Stefanie Barratt
The deteriorating financial and psychosocial
Nassim Majidi is the co-founder and director at Samuel Hall.
wellbeing of city residents, especially women, Stefanie Barratt is data standards and analytics pillar lead at
underscores the urgency of reevaluating current Samuel Hall.

Notes
1
Alimia, S (2022) Refugee Cities: How Afghans Changed Urban Pakistan. University of Pennsylvania Press. / 2 Internal Displacement
Monitoring Centre, Country Profile: Afghanistan. www.internal-displacement.org/countries/afghanistan / 3 UNHCR Operational Data Portal,
Afghanistan. Total IDPs in Afghanistan as of 30 June 2023. https://data.unhcr.org/en/country/afg / 4 Majidi, N (2013) Home sweet home!
Repatriation, reintegration and land allocation in Afghanistan. REMMM. 207–225. DOI: 10.4000/remmm.8098 / 5 Barratt, S, Majidi, N, Trigo
da Roza, M, Garcia Amado, P and McAteer, B (forthcoming) Afghanistan’s unfolding crisis: displaced wellbeing and livelihoods before and after
the regime change. IIED, London. / 6 Samuel Hall (2023) City note: Jalalabad. Urban solutions for local integration.

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