Afghanistan: UN warns economic strain as over 2 million Afghans return

Kabul [Afghanistan], November 26: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has published a new report on the economic situation of the Afghan people, particularly deported migrants and expressed concern that the return of 2.3 million Afghan migrants from neighbouring countries has severely affected the reconstruction process of Afghanistan, Tolo news reported on Tuesday.
Stephen Rodriques, the UNDP representative in Afghanistan, said, "When we combine the scale of the returnees with the magnitude of the ongoing economic shocks and the recurrent natural disasters, it is obvious that we need solutions that are collaborative, area-based, and rooted in the communities themselves. But we also need solutions at scale."
As per Tolo News, Shoko Noda, Executive Director of UNDP and Head of the Crisis Bureau in New York, added, "I really would like to stress the importance of putting women in the center. because, I mean, probably I don't need to explain more, but when I met those women yesterday, they are just restarting their lives, but also share the difficulties that they are also having in the community and also at the family level. And with forced displacement, this means that contributing beyond immediate humanitarian response, by enabling resilience and basic human needs that restore livelihood."
"The de facto authorities are finalizing their national development plan and that of course is going to be also an important reference document for us as international actors," Eric Beaumont, Head of the Cooperation Section at the EU Delegation in Afghanistan, said.
Tolo News reported that the Japanese ambassador at the program also emphasized how Japan is committed to supporting the people of Afghanistan, especially deported migrants.
A total of 10,405 Afghan citizens returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan in a single day, Pajhwok News Agency reported on Thursday, citing officials.
According to Tolo news, the UN refugee agency had already expressed worry over reduced humanitarian assistance for Afghan migrants deported from those countries.
Source: Times of Oman