One Year On: The Situation for At-Risk Afghans in Afghanistan and Abroad

August 2022 marks the one-year withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and the fall of Kabul to the Taliban. While the world watched the chaotic evacuation of Afghans via airlift, the suspension of aid and diplomatic relations and rise of new leadership further drove Afghanistan into a massive social and economic crisis where women and minorities became especially vulnerable. Humanitarian and development organizations have had to revisit their operations and approach while the needs of vulnerable Afghans grew even more pressing. A year on, in 2022, what was the status of Afghans who made it to the United States and Europe, what pathways were there for those who remain behind and are in peril given their past work with U.S. and allied forces, have the United States and other governments delivered on their promise to assist these individuals, and what opportunities existed to improve the humanitarian situation for Afghans abroad and in Afghanistan?

This two-panel webinar reflected on the humanitarian and development challenges in Afghanistan and for neighboring countries, the difficult choices facing aid donors and their partners, and what needs to be done to ensure still at-risk Afghans are able to reach safety. The first panel addressed the humanitarian and development situation in Afghanistan and the region, and the second panel discussed ongoing efforts to secure safe pathways and prospects for innovations and further international coordination.
 

Speakers:

PANEL 1:
Naima Chohan, Head of Technical Excellence, International Rescue Committee (IRC) Pakistan

Nassim Majidi, Founder and Director, Samuel Hall

Fahim Sadat, Head of the Masters in International Relations Department, Kardan University; Political and Security Analyst

MODERATOR: Camille Le Coz, Senior Policy Analyst, MPI and MPI Europe

PANEL 2:
Fiona Kendall, European and Legal Affairs Advisor, Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy (FCEI)

Peter Lucier, Leadership Team, #AfghanEvac

Spojmie Nasiri, Attorney and Afghan Response Task Force Member, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)

Sunil Varghese, Policy Director, International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP)

MODERATOR: Susan Fratzke, Senior Policy Analyst, Migration Policy Institute (MPI)