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Current Requirements (US$)$622 million
Crisis overview
In 2024, Afghanistan’s humanitarian and human rights situation continued to deteriorate. Since 2021, over 1.6 million Afghans have sought safety and protection in Iran and Pakistan, which now host over 8 million Afghans. This year, Afghans became the world’s largest refugee population, surpassing Syrians.
The “non-return” advisory UNHCR issued in August 2021 remains in effect, and was reaffirmed in February 2023 with an updated Guidance Note on International Protection Needs of People Fleeing Afghanistan. The guidance note urges States to grant access to Afghan nationals and, in cases where asylum systems are overwhelmed, to establish temporary protection or stay arrangements with safeguards for Afghan nationals. These arrangements should remain until Afghanistan’s security, humanitarian, rule of law, and human rights conditions have improved enough to enable safe, dignified voluntary repatriation.
Nevertheless, over 156,000 Afghans returned from Pakistan in the first half of the year. In the areas of return, essential needs include documentation and protection services for children and women, housing, financial assistance and food aid. Sustainable return also depends on economic opportunities for refugees and host communities through investments in entrepreneurship, improved access to markets and Sharia-compliant microfinance.
Semnan, Iran
An older Afghan man purchases fresh bread in the Semnan refugee settlement.
UNHCR/Hossein EidizadehConditions for Afghan women and girls have worsened over recent years due to increasingly restrictive measures imposed by the de facto authorities. Due to their particularly precarious protection situation, women and girls face heightened risk of gender-based violence (GBV), exploitation, abuse and trafficking, which exacerbate the dangers for those fleeing for safety. Afghans without documentation also face heightened risks of exploitation and human trafficking, worsened by unclear, opaque and unfair asylum procedures, which contribute to heightened irregular border crossings and onward movements.
The situation for Afghans in neighbouring host countries has also become increasingly challenging. Economic fragility limits livelihoods opportunities, the cost of living is rising sharply, xenophobia is on the rise. The 1.6 million Afghans who have sought refuge in Iran and Pakistan since 2021 are straining resources in both countries. Iran and Pakistan, now hosting nearly 8 million Afghans combined, along with other countries hosting Afghan refugees, require ongoing and increased support, in line with the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) and the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR) to continue providing essential aid.
As of June 2024, the Islamic Republic of Iran is the world’s largest refugee-hosting country, with at least 3.8 million refugees and persons in need of international protection, including more than 1 million who have arrived since 2021. Despite economic challenges, Iran has maintained inclusive health and education policies to all 4.5 million Afghans residing there. The Government is also issuing smart ID cards to undocumented Afghans who participated in a national headcount exercise, helping to regularize their documentation and improve access to services. However, the worsening economy is contributing to tensions over perceived job competition between refugees and host communities; up to 418,000 Afghans have returned to Afghanistan, with an estimated 30 per cent subsequently re-entering Iran.
Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Nafeesa, a 48-year-old Afghan refugee, receives her COVID-19 vaccine at the Red Crescent Mass Vaccination Centre in Rawalpindi, Punjab.
UNHCR/Asif ShahzadPakistan is currently home to about 1.3 million Afghan refugees (as of June 2024) and over 1.5 million Afghans of other status. Pakistan’s long-standing and commendable tradition of welcoming asylum-seekers faced challenges in 2023 with the Government’s Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP), which aimed to repatriate over one million foreign nationals without valid documents to their countries of origin. By October 2024, about 755,000 Afghans, mostly undocumented, returned to Afghanistan due to pressure and fear of arrest. However, returns decreased significantly in 2024, following a pause in the IFRP roll-out.
Refugee Response Plan (RRP) partners remain concerned about the risk of involuntary returns from Pakistan and Iran. Women and girls, journalists, musicians, artists, and ethnic minorities, are especially at risk due to the human rights situation in Afghanistan. In Iran, efforts are focused on ensuring access to territory, asylum and social protection. RRP partners will work with the Government to reduce barriers to documentation and legal status, while complementary support will target the most vulnerable groups, including improved child protection and safety for women and girls. In addition, partners will support the extension of inclusive state education and health care services for Afghan refugees to safeguard equitable access.
In Pakistan, the RRP will support the Government in helping Afghan refugees and those of other legal status realize their rights in line with international protection standards. This includes documentation, humanitarian protection, GBV mitigation and response, and child protection services. Alongside access to inter-sectoral essential services, the plan prioritizes investments in human capital, recognizing the challenges of maintaining basic living conditions for both Afghans and host communities.
Semnan, Iran
Afghan girls attend school near their homes in the Semnan refugee settlement. In Iran, all children, including Afghan refugee girls, have access to education.
UNHCR/Hossein EidizadehResponse priorities in 2025
The 2024-2025 RRP recognizes the significant contributions of host countries and reaffirms a regional, multi-stakeholder, multi-sectoral approach. As the refugee situation becomes more protracted, in addition to required protection services and life-saving assistance, this approach will increasingly focus on strengthening resilience efforts and catalyzing development investments to support host countries.
In 2025, the RRP will follow four regional strategic objectives, prioritizing community-based interventions and cross-border collaboration to:
- Coordinate efforts towards solutions aligned with the SSAR.
- Adopt a humanitarian-development nexus approach to build resilient communities, anchored in government systems wherever possible. This will reinforce the local and national systems of host countries that have supported Afghans for decades, in the spirit of international responsibility-sharing and in line with the GCR. Priorities include reinforcing national education and healthcare infrastructure and supporting livelihoods for both Afghans and host communities.
- Support host governments in ensuring access to territory, asylum and protection in accordance with international standards. This includes respect for the principle of non-refoulement, as well as ensuring admission, reception, individual registration and documentation.
- Respond to the basic needs of the most at risk, including via sustained support to government-led emergency preparedness and a multi-stakeholder, multi-sectoral response to newly displaced individuals due to conflict, disaster and other crises, as well as to those affected by rising living costs.
Regional cross-cutting priorities also include mainstreaming age, gender, and diversity approaches, with a particular focus on disability inclusion and youth. Mental health and psychosocial support will address challenges such as displacement, poverty, limited livelihood opportunities, traditional gender roles, social cohesion challenges that affect Afghan mental health and well-being across the region. Additional priorities include accountability to affected people, GBV risk mitigation, protection from sexual exploitation and abuse, and localization, with a substantial portion of RRP activities implemented by local organizations.
2024 in review: Response highlights and consequences of inaction
Response highlights
Regional | Education
89,200 children (Afghan refugees and of other statuses, and members of the host community) accessed primary (66,800) & secondary (22,400) education.
30 Jun 2024Regional | Health
287,400 Afghans supported with healthcare services.
30 Jun 2024Regional | Protection
60,000 individuals provided with counselling on registration, documentation & international protection.
30 Jun 2024Regional | Water, sanitation and hygiene
102,400 individuals received hygienic supplies.
30 Jun 2024Iran | Education
17,000 children (Afghan refugees and of other statuses, and members of the host community) accessed primary (12,600) & secondary (4,400) education.
30 Jun 2024Iran | Health
70,200 Afghans supported through Universal Public Health Insurance (UPHI).
7 health facilities supported with equipment, medicines and medical supplies or staff salaries.
Iran | Protection
60,000 individuals provided with counselling on registration, documentation & international protection. 4,200 people received legal support.
30 Jun 2024Iran | Water, sanitation and hygiene
53,800 individuals received hygienic supplies. 1,700 people reached through installation or rehabilitation of the water supply.
Pakistan | Education
54,100 children (Afghan refugees and of other statuses, and members of the host community) accessed primary education.
30 Jun 2024Pakistan | Health
210,400 Afghans accessed primary healthcare services. 40,000 children (aged 6-59 months) provided with multiple micronutrient powder.
30 Jun 2024Pakistan | Protection
170 newly identified children at heightened risk supported by a Best Interests Procedure.
72,400 or 51 per cent of women and girls accessed friendly spaces.
35,800 or 45 per cent of individuals received legal assistance.
Pakistan | Water, sanitation and hygiene
38,500 individuals benefitted from the installation or rehabilitation of the sanitation and solid waste management system.
30 Jun 2024Consequences of inaction
Iran | Education
RRP partners have prioritized support to inclusive education services. Iran hosts a large youth refugee population, many of whom are Afghan girls and women excluded from secondary education in Afghanistan. An additional $48 million is needed to support 220,000 school-aged children. Key support areas—contingent on this funding—include retention and transition to formal education through remedial catch-up classes and school readiness programmes, education support for refugee children with disabilities, cash and in-kind assistance for students, construction and improvement of facilities, and access to tertiary and higher education. Failing to address these needs could greatly strain the national education system and significantly raise the number of children who are out of school. Additionally, limited capacity leaves more Afghan families unable to enroll their children, increasing child protection risks.
Pakistan | Health and nutrition
$22 million is needed to meet the nutritional needs of 2.8 million people. Only 10 per cent of this population has been reached with current funding of $6 million. Due to limited funds, critical nutrition sites have closed, directly impacting refugees and host communities. Key underfunded areas include treatment of severe acute malnutrition (SAM), provision of micronutrient supplements, and support for maternal, infant, young child, and adolescent nutrition, including infant and young child feeding practices and key family care practices. Treating SAM in inpatient care and addressing moderate acute malnutrition through targeted supplementary feeding programmes has been extremely challenging, with funding at only 3 per cent. This funding gap threatens the operation of dedicated health facilities and the availability of skilled nutrition staff in refugee settlements, which provide integrated support including nutrition services.