Socio-Economic Recovery & Community Resilience

IOM Afghanistan’s Area-Based Socio-Economic Recovery & Community Resilience unit through its PLACES programme, delivers a holistic and area-based response to facilitate the transition from emergency towards socio-economic recovery and community resilience across conflict and displacement affected communities.

The programme delivers substantial emergency and socio-economic support to conflict and displacement-affected populations in an area locally defined as a community. It is designed based on the premise that evidence-based and participatory planning can give affected populations a meaningful voice in local socio-economic recovery, build community cohesion and resilience and create trust in local stakeholders through increased engagement and accountability.

The holistic nature of the programme brings together emergency, medium and long-term livelihood assistance, support to strategic and essential infrastructure, the provision of mental health and psychosocial support, emergency humanitarian assistance and reception assistance to Afghan returnees from abroad where needed.  

By doing so, IOM’s PLACES programme:

• Facilitates sustainable integration of people on the move, including Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), returnees, refugees and rural-to-urban migrants with a particular focus on vulnerabilities specific to gender, age, disability, among others. Root causes of displacement are reduced by strengthening social, economic and psychosocial resilience of displacement-affected communities.
• Revitalizes local economic conditions by supporting the business ecosystem and increasing human capital, thereby safeguarding existing jobs and creating new ones.
• Strengthens local ownership. Increased civic engagement provides opportunity for active collaboration and exchange with local stakeholders and community members, particularly vulnerable, marginalized and oppressed groups.
• Builds resilient and inclusive communities. Sustainable reintegration and durable solutions are delivered not just at individual, but also at community and structural levels.
• Supports sustainable infrastructure. Strategic and essential infrastructure to provide communities with basic services while building community resilience to withstand shocks, including those related to climate change and urbanization.
• Leverages area-based, participatory and context-sensitive approaches. Local forms of governance and social, economic and geographic factors across Afghanistan inform the design of the programme’s responses and activities. These activities are in turn aligned with the distinct context and needs of each community.
• Addresses the humanitarian-development peace building nexus. Both displaced and host communities benefit alike from adequate living standards, sustainable and inclusive local economic development, and lasting social cohesion.

IOM Area-Based Socio-Economic Recovery & Community Resilience activities are funded by the European Union.