UN asks donors to increase funding for female returnees

KABUL (Pajhwok): The United Nations has called on donors to increase funding to support women and girls returning to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan.

On its X handle, United Nations for Women in Afghanistan wrote: “The new Afghanistan Gender Alert calls on donors to increase funding for women and girls returning – often not by choice – from Iran and Pakistan; and invest more in women aid workers supporting them”.

“We urge donors to heed the call and help us respond”: the report added.

Two days ago, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said the large-scale return of Afghan refugees from Iran has increased pressure on services and facilities at the borders, and a shortage of financial resources has hampered the work of aid agencies.

Recently, the forced deportation of Afghan refugees from Iran and Pakistan has accelerated, with nearly 1.8 million Afghan refugees deported from Iran in the past three months, according to the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation.

hz/ma