Displacement-tracking system being put in place

KABUL to better understand population movements and needs.

The system is being put in place in response to a dramatic increase of Afghans returning home from neighbouring countries, as well as record levels of internal displacement.

In a statement on its website, IOM said sudden return of more than 600,000 Afghans from Pakistan and the conflict-induced displacement of over 623,000 people in 2016 could trigger a humanitarian crisis.

A million more Afghans are expected to return from Pakistan this year, with and an additional 450,000 people likely to become internally displaced due to the ongoing war.

IOM Afghanistan Chief of Mission Laurence Hart said: “There is an urgent need to know where people in vulnerable situations are living and what their needs are.”

“With a system in place to clearly track these concerns, humanitarian actors and the Government of Afghanistan can deliver assistance and services to the families and communities that need it most.”

IOM would launch the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) in Afghanistan next week -- a system that utilises a variety of tools and processes to monitor population movement during crises.

The first phase of the DTM in Afghanistan will put a framework in place to track various populations at risk in Nangarhar, Laghman and Kunar provinces.

According to the organisation, the governments of Germany, Japan, Norway and Sweden are funding the DTM in Afghanistan.

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