KABUL, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation has signed a 1.63 million U.S. dollars cooperation agreement with a leading domestic aid organization to provide humanitarian assistance to recent returnees, the ministry announced Tuesday.
The deal, worth precisely 1,631,180 U.S. dollars, will support 61,987 returnees across 16 out of the country's 34 provinces, according to the ministry.
The latest agreement forms part of Kabul's broader efforts to address the mounting needs of Afghans returning from neighboring countries.
In April, the ministry signed separate pacts worth more than 4.5 million U.S. dollars with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and other international partners.
Officials said the funding aims to deliver urgent humanitarian support to returnee families grappling with severe housing shortages, limited livelihood opportunities, and economic hardship upon reintegration.
According to ministry figures, a total of 495,398 Afghan refugees have returned home in the past two months, with the overwhelming majority coming from Pakistan and Iran.
The surge in returns has placed significant pressure on Afghanistan's already strained resources, prompting the authorities to intensify cooperation with both local and international aid organizations to facilitate sustainable reintegration. ■
