EASO publishes 'Afghanistan: Taliban Strategies - Recruitment', which intends to give an overview of relevant elements of the Taliban's strategies for the recruitment of armed fighters.
Press Release
10 July 2012
The European Asylum Support Office publishes its first Country of Origin Information (COI) report on Afghanistan
- Also publishes Report on COI methodology
Today, the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) has published its first Country of Origin Information (COI) Report entitled 'Afghanistan: Taliban Strategies - Recruitment'. COI refers to information on countries from which asylum seekers originate. The availability of and the expertise on COI is one of the cornerstones of decision-making in the asylum process and as such can enhance harmonisation. The continuous support in the field of COI is an important tool in achieving a Common European Asylum System. The purpose of this report is to provide information supporting COI Experts, Decision and Policy Makers active in the Refugee Status Determination Procedures. EASO also published a report on COI Report Methodology. The COI Report Methodology sets standards and guidelines for writing COI reports.
EASO chose Afghanistan for its first COI report in view of its history of conflicts, the large number of afghan asylum seekers in the EU, and the differences in the first instance negative decision rates for Afghan asylum seekers in the EU Member States. In fact, in 2011, Afghanistan was the top country of origin for asylum seekers in the European Union. Out of a total of 303.100 asylum applicants [1] 28,000 or nine percent of the total number of applicants, were from Afghanistan. First instance negative decision rates for Afghan asylum seekers varied across the EU. In the context of a Common European Asylum System, the discrepancies between national asylum systems can be estimated by a standard deviance of approximately 28%.
The fear of recruitment by Taliban or other insurgent groups is still an important asylum motive in the European caseload of Afghan asylum applications. In discussions with caseworkers in various Member States, different aspects of recruitment have been mentioned as core elements of asylum claims. Among the topics discussed were the madrassas (religious schools), night letters, suicide bombers, minors, kidnappings, training camps, handicapped persons, family members, insurgent groups, Pakistan, returnees, mullahs, mosques, ethnicity, locations, coercion and so on.
The report also provide a brief historical overview of recent conflicts in Afghanistan, to give an understanding of political and socio-cultural evolutions that determine the current events, as the understanding of the cultural background is a precondition for an objective assessment of the situation of an asylum seeker. In addition, this report intends to give an overview of relevant elements of the Taliban's strategies for the recruitment of armed fighters.
COI Report Methodology
An objective, transparent and accurate COI system that delivers official, rapid and reliable information is central to any assessment of whether a person should benefit from international protection or not. More convergence on the collection and analysis of COI by asylum authorities in Member States would contribute to levelling the asylum playing field. The fundament for this is: Common Methodology. In this context, EASO has also published a report which defines and formulates EASO COI Report Methodology. The Methodology is split into 5 sections: Standards; Initiation; Research; Report; and Finalisation and Follow-up; in addition it includes two Annexes: Glossary; EASO COI Report Template;
This Methodology was developed for the purpose of EASO COI Reports. However, all Member States are encouraged to use this Methodology for their own COI reports. The Methodology is binding for drafting EASO COI reports.
Any further information may be obtained from the European Asylum Support Office by contacting Mr Jean-Pierre Schembri on the following e-mail address: jean-pierre.schembri@ext.ec.europa.eu
[1] On the basis of Regulation No 862/2007 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 11 July 2007 on Community statistics on migration and international protection