The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Afghanistan has said that more than 1.2 million people returned to Afghanistan from the beginning of 2026 until the end of September.
Salam Watandar’s interviews with 10 families from nine provinces of Afghanistan show that their relatives died over the past two years while trying to reach Iran and Turkey through illegal migration routes. The families say unemployment and economic problems have pushed youth to take dangerous routes, leaving their families facing serious emotional and economic difficulties.
Support from aid organizations has given some women who returned to Afghanistan an opportunity to use their skills again to start small businesses after experiencing unemployment and economic problems.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Afghanistan says it has distributed 50,000 hot meal packages to returnees to the country.
Salam Watandar interviewed 32 Afghan youth (20 girls and 12 boys) who were born in different countries around the world and have never visited Afghanistan, to examine their sense of attachment to their homeland and the conditions under which they would consider returning.
Salam Watandar’s interviews with 44 married Afghan women living in Canada, Germany, France, England, Australia, the United States, and Russia show that while some women experience restrictions on their personal freedoms, social relationships, and educational and employment opportunities after migration, others report no change in their freedoms or opportunities and continue to receive support from their husbands and families. Thus, the experiences of married Afghan women after migration are not the same.
The unprecedented trend of migrant returns—particularly from Iran and Pakistan—amid regional tensions and Afghanistan’s economic hardships is pushing the country toward a humanitarian crisis. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warns that Afghanistan cannot, on its own, withstand the simultaneous pressures of large-scale return migration, poverty, and climate change.
The High Commission for Addressing Migrant Issues has announced that 5,363 Afghan citizens were deported from Iran and Pakistan.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has report that mass returns, climate changes, and aid cuts push Afghanistan further into crisis.
Representative of UNHCR Afghanistan visited Salam Afghanistan Media Organization (Salam Watandar Radio Network) in Kabul.
The government of Japan, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has announced a new joint initiative titled “Resilient Income Solutions Empowering Alternative Livelihoods” (RISE) aimed at supporting vulnerable communities in Afghanistan.
UNHCR’s Representative in Afghanistan visited Kandahar province to scale up support for refugee returnee communities, a key return area in the country, while continuing to respond to emerging needs along the border.
