UNHCR Urges Pakistan To Extend Legal Stay For Vulnerable Afghan Refugees

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is warning of a crisis within a crisis emerging in Afghanistan. Returns under adverse circumstances from Pakistan are rising sharply at the very same time that communities are struggling to recover from a devastating earthquake in many of the same areas where returnees are arriving.

Since the start of the year, some 2.6 million Afghans have returned from neighbouring countries, many not by choice. They are arriving in a country wracked by poverty and drought, where humanitarian needs are already high. Some have not set foot in Afghanistan for decades, others were born in exile and are arriving for the first time.

As Pakistan resumes implementation of its“Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan,” more than 554,000 Afghans have returned since April, including 143,000 in August alone. In recent weeks, the pace has surged further: in the first week of September alone, nearly 100,000 people crossed back from Pakistan, stretching capacities to the limit.

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Together with partners, UNHCR is providing returnees with immediate assistance, cash support, protection, and other essential services, both at border points and in their areas of return, to help families begin rebuilding their lives.

However, in recent days, UNHCR has been forced to temporarily suspend operations at its cash and support centres across Afghanistan, as the de facto authorities have been preventing national female UN staff members from entering UN compounds.

This is a problem affecting the entire UN, including UNHCR, and any agency head would tell a similar story. It is not possible to serve women without female staff. We reiterate our call for the immediate lifting of these restrictions and for an urgent solution to be found.

Meanwhile, in the earthquake-affected areas, UNHCR has met families who had only just returned from Pakistan before losing their homes once again. We are distributing thousands of tents and other relief items, including in some of the most remote locations, while also scaling up protection assessments and programmes already in place in these provinces for returnees.

In light of these compounding crises, UNHCR continues to urge Pakistan to uphold its long-standing humanitarian approach to Afghan refugees. This means extending legal stay for those still in need of international protection, such as groups who face heightened risks upon their return.

UNHCR stands ready to support the Government of Pakistan in developing practical mechanisms to identify individuals with ongoing protection needs and to expand regulated migration pathways for Afghans.

We also urge countries across the region to ensure that any returns are voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable, and that no one in need of protection is forced back to a place where their rights and freedoms are at risk, or to a country already stretched to the limit in absorbing new arrivals.

UNHCR remains grateful to governments, companies, and individuals who have already stepped up to support UNHCR's work in Afghanistan and across the region. But our resources are running out quickly.

Without additional funding, we will not be able to sustain life-saving assistance for Afghan families facing these overlapping crises. We have updated our regional appeal for returns in light of recent events and are calling for $258.6 million.

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