UNHCR launched an appeal to the international community not to abandon Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran during the COVID-19 emergency. It highlighted the difficulties refugees in the countries are facing, and said thousands of Afghans are repatriating despite the insecurity due to the pandemic.
The UN refugee agency UNHCR is urging greater support to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, warning that leaving Afghans and their host communities behind will have a far-reaching and negative impact on global efforts to fight the virus.
In a statement, UNHCR said: "Despite persistent risks and insecurity, Afghans continue to return from both Iran and Pakistan."
Thousands of Afghans repatriating from Iran and Pakistan
UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch said in the statement that tens of thousands of Afghan citizens have crossed over from Pakistan to Afghanistan since the temporary re-opening of the border last week.
1,500 people are currently returning every day from Iran. The number of Afghans nationals returning had peaked at some 60,000 in March.
"The coronavirus poses a very great threat to developing nations. An outbreak would put extraordinary strain on already fragile local healthcare services and likely result in avoidable suffering and death," Baloch said.
"As the race against time continues globally, UNHCR appeals to the international community to boost solidarity with all three countries, and have at this critical time to prevent a larger-scale outbreak of the coronavirus among the most vulnerable communities," he said.
The situation of refugees in the three countries
UNHCR said Pakistan and Iran, which host some 90% of the world's 2.7 million Afghan refugees, are experiencing immense strain on their health systems and economies.
For Afghan refugees in Iran and Pakistan, the impacts of COVID-19 go far beyond health. In both countries, those who are employed are commonly hired as day labourers. Amidst various levels of lockdown across the region, such work has abruptly ceased and refugees with no income and their hosts are now faced with economic threats to their survival.
Afghans in Iran and Pakistan widely report serious difficulties in paying medical expenses and meeting the most basic living costs of food and accommodation, leading to many being forced to borrow money.
"All three governments are making concerted and commendable efforts to include displaced people in national plans and responses, but desperately need international support," UNHCR said.