The United Nations and its humanitarian partners have launched a $529 million response plan to assist Afghan migrants returning from Iran and Pakistan, warning that the scale of returns is placing growing strain on Afghanistan’s already fragile economy and public services.
The initiative, known as the 2026 Afghanistan Returnee Response Plan, aims to support an estimated 2.7 million Afghans expected to return between April and December this year, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
UNAMA described the program as a comprehensive strategy designed to assist returnees from the moment they cross the border through their longer-term reintegration into Afghan communities.
According to the United Nations, nearly 5.9 million Afghans have returned to the country since September 2023, increasing Afghanistan’s population by an estimated 10 to 12 percent in just over two years.
The organization said roughly 2.9 million returnees entered Afghanistan during 2025 alone, while another 600,000 people returned during the first four months of 2026.
Much of the recent movement has been driven by intensified deportation policies, shrinking legal protections and mounting pressure on Afghan migrants in neighboring countries, the United Nations said.
The agency estimates that another 1.7 million Afghans could return from Iran and 1.1 million from Pakistan over the next eight months.
Tajudeen Oyewale, the United Nations’ acting humanitarian coordinator in Afghanistan, said the situation represented more than a temporary border emergency.
“This is not simply a short-term border event,” he said. “It is a profound demographic and development challenge that requires a sustainable and comprehensive response.”
Oyewale said women and children account for more than half of the returnees, many of whom were born or raised outside Afghanistan and have limited ties to their areas of origin.
Without urgent investment in livelihoods, housing, drinking water, health care and protection services, he warned, the country risks further displacement, deepening poverty and rising social tensions.
Under the plan, $100.7 million has been allocated for emergency border assistance, including cash support, health services, nutrition programs, protection services, water and sanitation and transportation assistance.
Those services will be delivered through the International Organization for Migration and partner organizations at border crossings.
Another $428.5 million has been designated for reintegration programs in 35 priority districts identified as highly vulnerable because of drought, food insecurity and large populations of internally displaced people.
The reintegration component focuses on restoring basic services such as education, health care and water systems while also expanding economic opportunities, strengthening livelihoods and addressing housing and land-related challenges.
Tamindri de Silva, the country director of World Vision International, warned that the scale of humanitarian needs remained immense and said funding shortfalls could severely limit aid agencies’ ability to assist returnees effectively.
The United Nations appealed to donor countries to fully finance the program, warning that insufficient support could worsen Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis and undermine efforts to reintegrate millions of returnees with dignity.
Afghanistan is already facing widespread poverty, high unemployment and declining international aid nearly five years after the Taliban returned to power. Aid agencies have repeatedly warned that the country’s weak economy and overstretched infrastructure may struggle to absorb large numbers of returnees in a short period of time.
