KABUL (Pajhwok): The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says nearly 1.29 million Afghans returned from neighbouring Iran and Pakistan to Afghanistan in the first nine months of 2026, with around 43 percent of them having been deported.
In its report on the use of flexible funding from January to September 2026, released on Sunday, the organisation noted that many of the migrants had returned to Afghanistan in difficult circumstances.
It said UNHCR used flexible funding to provide immediate assistance and protection support at migrants’ return locations. It also worked to meet their basic needs and help vulnerable families rebuild their sources of income.
The organisation added that around 340 vulnerable families in areas of return had received cash assistance for reintegration, while approximately 2,300 people facing serious protection risks had also benefited from cash assistance.
In addition, around 2,600 vulnerable families received cash assistance to purchase essential household items.
The report noted that more than 45,000 requests and complaints had been received through the organisation’s complaints and feedback mechanism, of which nearly 15,000 had been followed up and referred for the necessary services.
It further reported that around 2,650 people, including 1,200 women, had received a total of approximately 6.1 million US dollars through microfinance programmes supported by UNHCR.
The assistance supported around 2,500 existing businesses and 145 newly established businesses, while nearly 2,000 people also received business development training.
The report continued that vocational and technical skills training programmes had covered nearly 460 people in digital skills in Herat, 160 in vocational and technical training, around 90 in midwifery and another 155 in teacher training.
UNHCR added that it had received 30 million US dollars in flexible funding to respond to Afghanistan’s needs, while the organisation’s total funding requirements were estimated at 216.4 million US dollars.
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