The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) calls on the international community to urgently increase funding to protect more than 1.4 million people who have returned or been forced to return to Afghanistan so far this year, including more than 1 million from Iran.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reported a significant surge in the number of Afghans returning from Iran and Pakistan in recent months, marking a sharp departure from previous trends.
The UNHCR said that its response in Afghanistan this year is only 28% funded.
According to the agency, daily returns from Iran have increased significantly after 13 June, with the highest number recorded on 1 July, when more than 43,000 individuals crossed the border back into Afghanistan. This figure represents a dramatic rise compared to the January–June daily average of 5,000 returns.
Meanwhile, returns from Pakistan began accelerating earlier in the year, with nearly 150,000 people making the journey back to Afghanistan in April alone.
Another UN agency - the International Organization of Migration - stated on Monday that nearly 450,000 Afghans had returned from Iran since the beginning of June following a directive by Tehran for undocumented Afghans to leave the country by 6 July.
In late May, Iranian authorities announced that all undocumented Afghan nationals must depart by the deadline, a move that could affect up to four million people out of the estimated six million Afghans currently living in Iran, according to Iranian government figures.
The UNHCR has raised concerns about the humanitarian implications of these large-scale return movements, noting forcing or pressuring Afghans to return risks further instability in the region, and onward movement towards Europe.
"Immense challenges lie ahead for returnees, from accessing documentation, housing healthcare and education, to rebuilding their lives in a country they do not know. It is particularly worrying as returns are highly concentrated in just a few areas. Returns mark the start of a difficult journey in a country facing multiple, overlapping crises, and struggling to recover after four decades of instability. For women and girls in particular, life in Afghanistan brings extreme restrictions," UNHCR said.
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Afghanistan and Iran have agreed to strengthen agricultural cooperation as Afghan officials seek to expand export routes and support struggling farmers across the country.
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Washington is set to "permanently pause" work on migration from all "Third World Countries." U.S. President Donald Trump announced the move on Thursday (27 November) after the death of a National Guard member in an attack by an Afghan national near the White House on Wednesday.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has called for restraint and respect for international law as tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalate yet again.
Moscow and Kyiv painted very different pictures of the battlefield on Sunday, each insisting momentum was on their side as the fighting around Pokrovsk intensified.
U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed on Sunday that he had spoken with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, but did not provide details on what the two leaders discussed.
Venezuela's government condemned Trump's comments in a statement posted on Saturday afternoon (November 29), describing them as a "colonialist threat" against the country's sovereignty and incompatible with international law.
Security concerns across Central Asia have intensified rapidly after officials in Dushanbe reported a series of lethal incursions originating from Afghan soil, marking a significant escalation in border violence.
U.S. and Ukrainian officials held what both sides called productive talks on Sunday about a Russia peace deal, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressing optimism about progress despite challenges.
Afghanistan and Iran have agreed to strengthen agricultural cooperation as Afghan officials seek to expand export routes and support struggling farmers across the country.
The Georgian Dream party says it has taken legal action against British Broadcaster BBC following an accusation of defamation in article published about protests in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital.
Azerbaijan says it has received answers from Russia regarding the AZAL airline plane that was shot down over Grozny in December 2024.
The OSCE has formally wound up the Minsk Process, shutting down its mediation structures after a joint appeal from Armenia and Azerbaijan and a consensus decision by all 57 participating states.
The U.S. military said on Sunday it had destroyed 15 sites containing Islamic State (ISIS) weapons caches in southern Syria, in one of the most extensive joint operations with Syrian forces in recent years.
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