Nasir Ahmad Andisha, Afghanistan’s representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva, has expressed concern over the growing number of forced deportations of Afghan migrants and the difficulties faced by returnees at the country’s border crossings.
Speaking on Friday, 8 Aqrab (October 30), at the 39th session of the International Organization for Migration’s Standing Committee on Programmes and Finance, Andisha said Afghanistan remains a priority in the organisation’s current annual budget.
Andisha described the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s and girls’ education and employment as factors undermining economic stability, social reconstruction and the reintegration of returnees. He stressed that these policies have far-reaching consequences for the country’s humanitarian and economic situation.
Afghanistan’s representative called on neighbouring and regional countries to respect international regulations concerning migrants and refugees, as well as their human dignity. He also urged host countries to refrain from mistreating migrants and forcibly deporting individuals whose future remains uncertain.
In another part of his remarks, Andisha emphasised the need to develop long-term programmes and allocate sufficient funding to address the challenges facing migrants and returnees. He said emergency and short-term assistance alone cannot adequately meet their needs.
These concerns come as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has warned that tens of thousands of returnees and internally displaced people in Afghanistan lack adequate shelter and heating supplies as winter approaches.
According to the organisation, a funding shortfall of $8.8 million threatens access to winter assistance for more than 140,000 people.
Writer:Roya Stanikzai
