Chapter III. PLEDGES AFGHANISTAN PLEDGE FORM The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan pledges to establish – with the assistance of UNHCR – a national refugee legislation in accordance to best international practice and fully compliant with the 1951 Convention and other international norms. This national refugee legislation will, in addition to a national Refugee Law, also include procedures to implement the aforementioned international instruments and to fulfill the obligations of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan with regard to the 1951 Convention. EXCERPTS FROM NATIONAL STATEMENT More than 5.7 million Afghans have returned home since the fall of the Taliban government in 2001. Most of them with the assistance of the international community, in particular UNHCR. My Government is most grateful for this assistance and hopes that it will continue unwaveringly until the refugee crises has been solved completely. In other words, whilst this repatriation resulted in Afghanistan’s population increasing by nearly a quarter, there are still some three million Afghans living as refugees outside our country. Refugees for whom the sustainability of their voluntary return to villages and cities is increasingly challenging because of scarce jobs, food, shelter and, unfortunately, because of a deteriorating security situation in some parts of our country. Internal displacement and outward migration are also increasing. Sustainable reintegration is imperative as it has a direct impact on the overall stability of Afghanistan, and the ongoing engagement and support of the international community to these Afghan refugees is essential. But it is also important that the Government of Afghanistan, together with the Governments of the two main countries of asylum, Iran and Pakistan, create an integrated, holistic approach for helping these refugees. Thus, I am pleased to announce that these three governments (Islamic Republic of Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan) are now engaged in the very first quadripartite consultative process, together with UNHCR, to develop a multi-year solutions strategy for Afghan refugees. This strategy will be presented to the international community at a stakeholders’ conference in May 2012. 43