KABUL (SW): The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Afghanistan has said up to one million Afghans have migrated from this country this year alone.
Maya Ameratunga, UNHCR’S Country Director for Afghanistan told reporters in Kabul on Tuesday that Afghans comprise the second largest community of displaced people worldwide following the Syrians.
She noted that lack of confidence in future of the country, political rift and poverty were among the main reasons forcing youth from Afghanistan to seek better future abroad.
In her remarks, Maya Ameratunga mentioned that a total of 5.7 million Afghan refugees have returned to their home during the past one decade.
Talking on the occasion, Syed Alimi Balkhi, Minister for Refugees and Repatriates (MoRR), said that some 30 thousand of Afghan youth who left the country have returned home this year.
He mentioned that some 150 thousand of Afghans have moved towards the European countries and the matter was discussed during meetings between European leaders and President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani during the President’s trip to the west few days back.
The minister mentioned that work was underway on a comprehensive strategy to address the issue.
According to the Balkhi, the MoRR would need $ 553 million to implement this policy but it has just received half of it from the international community so far.
According to reports, out of around 150 Afghan migrants who have moved to European countries, an overwhelming 80 percent have chosen to enter Germany but only 43 percent of them have been granted asylum.
ENDS
