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Ingrid Macdonald

Ingrid Macdonald is Global Advocacy Advisor for the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC, www.nrc.no ). Her previous role with NRC was Regional Protection and Advocacy Manager for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran, based in Kabul. She has also been based in Sudan and the Solomon Islands, and has extensi...
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Afghanistan’s reintegration challenges: land and housing

Ingrid Macdonald , 2 May 2010

Summary:

Afghanistan's decades of conflict have forced millions of its people – a third of the population – from their homes, their land and their country. Today, many face major problems reintegrating back into society, which are made even worse by escalating conflict and insecurity since the mid-2000s.

Two key problems are the lack of access to land and adequate housing, without which many returning refugees and internally displaced people have been forced to live in poor, overcrowded and makeshift conditions. The flaws of Afghanistan’s legal systems (both formal and informal), and of the government's land allocation scheme, mean that progress in delivering results on the scale needed has been limited. This neglected issue, which a few aid agencies such as the UNHCR and the Norwegian Refugee Council are tackling, requires greater attention and support from the international community.