The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia • E8

By MONI BASU Before Sept. 11, the world had forgotten about Afghanistan. Sadako Ogata, the former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, worries it might happen again. And if it does, Ogata said, the international community could face an entirely new kind of refugee crisis. it not been for the terrible attacks on September 11, might have remained forgotten or said Ogata, who received the 2002 Delta Prize for Global Understanding on Tuesday in Atlanta.

world learned that it should not leave a failed state to turn into hotbeds of But now, she said, the process of repatriating displaced Afghans requires an urgent international response. far as the return of Afghan refugees the scale and speed may be said Ogata, a scholar in residence at the Ford Foundation. exodus crisis is something the international community is familiar with, but a repatriation crisis would be a new thing. We have to make sure it With staggering numbers of Afghans returning home since the fall of the Taliban regime in November, Afghanistan is at grave risk of not being able to provide for its people. More than two decades of war and drought have left farms and infrastructure devastated.

Years of living closely together in crowded refugee camps have also urbanized farmers and rural Afghans, Ogata said. They are squeezing back into cities such as Kabul and Kandahar, which are already straining to provide water, sewerage, housing and jobs. Ogata said she is retired, but as special envoy to Afghanistan, the former U.N. refugee chief is still doing what she did in her old job: making sure that Afghans can return to safe homes. In January, she led reconstruction talks that netted $4.5 billion in foreign pledges for Afghanistan.

The money was promised, but has been slow to arrive, she said. have to ask the question: What kind of absorptive capacity does Afghanistan she said. has to be much quicker development So far, 700,000 Afghans have returned home, Ogata said. Another 5 million Afghans are waiting to again set foot on native soil. want to go back home and resume their normal lives.

And a good Ogata said. this is a very big challenge in terms of scale and need. difficult. We are talking about a lot of she said, calling Afghanistan the UNHCR has seen. Within months, Afghan repatriation will surpass the record for refugee returns the 1.7 million who streamed back into Mozambique in 1994 after a lengthy war, Ogata said.

The international community, she said, must ensure that security, often confined to Kabul, is spread throughout the countryside, notorious for ruthless warlords. Reconstruction cannot take place in an environment of violence. the people of Afghanistan are really waiting anxiously for are some clear signs of the benefits of Ogata said. are longing to see reconstruction work reach their As she accepted her University of Georgia-administered Delta Prize on Tuesday, Ogata talked about Afghanistan, the Balkans, Africa and other places where she has helped the victims of persecution and war. And she encouraged the United States not to let its war on terrorism shut the doors to people who are forced to flee their homes.

Tougher post- Sept. 11 security has meant fewer refugees than usual have been allowed into America this year. the world is full of people who do need, that there are people who are Ogata said. recognition is something that needs to be even more ON THE WEB: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx Ogata: Returning Afghans need help VAHID SALEMI Associated Press More than 5 million Afghans are waiting to go home, making the largest repatriation the United Nations has seen. RWORL0529OE8FWORL0529OE8 MID RUN 8E 8E RR RR BlueRedYellowBlack BlueRedYellowBlack E8 Wednesday, May 29, 2002 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 4.