Briefing Paper on Townships for Returnees

This Briefing Paper provides a critical analysis of land allocation as a durable solutions strategy for returnees and displaced populations in Afghanistan. It examines the historical trajectory of Land Allocation Schemes (LAS) from 2005 to the present, highlighting systemic challenges and lessons learned from previous initiatives under Presidential Decrees 104 (2005-2015) and 305 (2018-2021). In response to a significant influx of returnees, the current De Facto Authorities (DFA) have promulgated Decrees 190 (2023) and 6 (2024) to establish new frameworks for distributing state land to refugee returnees through purpose-built 'Townships'. While these new decrees incorporate some lessons from the past—particularly in establishing land suitability criteria.

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