The United Nations refugee agency is planning a settlement and carpet-weaving workshop for Afghan returnees in Kabul as the country grapples with large-scale returns and growing pressure on housing, jobs and basic services.
The plan was discussed on Tuesday between Abdul Rahman Rashid, Professional Deputy Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, and Vanessa Mater Boli, Deputy Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Afghanistan.
According to the ministry, the facilities would be built in Kabul’s Pul-e-Charkhi area, where UNHCR has previously provided cash assistance to returnees.
Rashid said the project could provide both support and employment.
“The ministry was ready to cooperate with relevant organisations and work towards resolving existing problems,” he said, according to the ministry’s statement.
UNHCR said preliminary plans had been prepared, but construction would depend on resolving the land issue.
“Construction would begin after the required stages were completed and the issue concerning the land was resolved,” Mater Boli said, according to the statement.
The announcement comes as Afghanistan continues to face large-scale returns from neighbouring Iran and Pakistan.
UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) recorded about 1.02 million returns to Afghanistan in 2026 by 18 July, including about 616,600 from Pakistan and 401,600 from Iran.
IOM has said the scale of returns is putting further strain on already overburdened infrastructure and communities’ capacity to absorb returnees. Many of those returning face difficulties securing housing, livelihoods and basic services.
Abdul Kabir, Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, said on Tuesday that around eight million Afghans had returned from neighbouring countries since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. The figure covers a different timeframe and uses a different methodology from the UN data.
He said residential plots had been distributed to thousands of returnees and that authorities expected people in need to receive land for shelter.
The ministry also said work was under way with aid organisations to provide assistance to a further 26,000 families.
A Kyiv-Warsaw train was struck near the Polish border, Ukraine's state railway firm said on Sunday. No passengers were injured. Ukrai...
Maritime trackers received new reports of an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to the ...
Indonesian rescuers are searching for 130 people after a passenger ship carrying 243 people sank in the Java Sea following bad weather, while 113 p...
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the weekend BRICS summit, amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, joining a host of foreign dignitaries.
Maritime trackers received new reports of an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), adding to concerns about energy supplies after Saudi Arabia shut down a vital oil pipeline on Saturday.
A Kyiv-Warsaw train was struck near the Polish border, Ukraine's state railway firm said on Sunday. No passengers were injured. Ukrainian Railways said that the country's railways were facing systematic attacks for a second day and warned of widespread delays.
Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down its 1,200-kilometre East-West oil pipeline after it was hit by a drone attack, with Riyadh and Baghdad saying the strike originated from Iraq.
Dubai’s property market has spent years climbing. Now, for the first time since 2021, prices are moving in the opposite direction.
Saudi Arabia’s outbound travel market could surge from around $35 billion to more than $60 billion by 2030-2034, driven by a young generation of high-spending travellers and intensifying competition among global destinations.
Uzbekistan’s first permanent contemporary art institution has opened in a historic 1912 building in Tashkent, transforming a former tram depot and diesel power station into a new cultural hub for the region.
Uzbekistan plans to introduce a new Heritage Impact Assessment system to shield historic cities and cultural heritage sites from the potential impact of construction and infrastructure development. Digital tools will also be used to manage tourist numbers and limit visitors where necessary.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to deepening its partnership with the Gates Foundation, with talks spanning polio eradication, health, financial inclusion and digital development.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the weekend BRICS summit, amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, joining a host of foreign dignitaries.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment