UNHCR urgently appeals for increase funding to support Afghan returnees

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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