KABUL, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reported that nearly 2.8 million Afghan refugees have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan and Iran so far in 2025.
In a statement, the UN refugee agency warned of mounting humanitarian and protection challenges, noting that many of the returnees are women and children.
To address these needs, the agency is seeking 258.6 million U.S. dollars to provide emergency assistance, including temporary shelter, essential relief items, and protection services to support families upon their arrival, the UNHCR said.
The agency cautioned that without urgent international support, the combination of large-scale returns, ongoing vulnerabilities in neighboring countries, and severe funding shortages could further deepen Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis.
Around 6 million Afghan refugees, mostly undocumented, are currently living abroad, with the majority living in Iran and Pakistan, the Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said in late July. ■