The European Union has announced that it will allocate €20 million in assistance for returnees and displaced persons in Afghanistan through the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The EU delegation in Kabul stated in a press release issued today (Tuesday, 2 Saratan) that this financial support comes at a time when Afghanistan continues to experience one of the world’s largest and most complex humanitarian crises, which has been further exacerbated by the high number of returnees.
Veronika Boskovic Pohar, Head of the EU Delegation to Afghanistan, said: “The European Union remains committed to supporting the reintegration of returnees in Afghanistan and helping them transition from dependency to self-sufficiency.”
She added that the EU’s cooperation with the International Organization for Migration plays a central role in this effort, noting that since 2022 the EU has provided more than €140 million to respond to the displacement crisis in Afghanistan.
Mutia Muskoon, Deputy Head of the IOM office in Afghanistan, said that the European Union has been a long-standing partner of the organization in addressing displacement and the return of migrants to Afghanistan.
She further stated: “At a time when millions of Afghans are returning to communities already struggling with limited resources and services, this support enables the International Organization for Migration to expand critical assistance, strengthen livelihoods, support small businesses, and improve access to essential services through community resource centers, helping returnees and host communities build a more resilient future.”
The European Union said the funding will expand integrated support for returnees, internally displaced persons, and host communities through protection services, healthcare, psychosocial support, livelihoods, and recovery efforts in high-return areas and provinces.
The EU delegation also stated that the funding will support sustainable reintegration of returnees, particularly women and other vulnerable groups, through livelihood assistance, vocational training, and support for small and medium-sized enterprises.
According to IOM data, between September 2023 and May 2026, more than 6.04 million migrants were deported from Iran and Pakistan and returned to Afghanistan.
The organization’s figures show that alone in 2025, 2.8 million migrants were deported from Iran and Pakistan and entered Afghanistan.
IOM has stated that these returns have increased Afghanistan’s population by at least 10 percent and further intensified the country’s humanitarian crisis.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
