UN Development Program Deems Return of Afghan Migrants ‘Unfeasible’
As several European countries push to return rejected Afghan asylum seekers, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has warned that Afghanistan is currently unable to absorb them. Kanni Wignaraja, UNDP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, said during a press briefing that considering the situation on the ground, returning groups of migrants to Afghanistan is “unfeasible” and unsustainable.
She added that the severe situation in Afghanistan—marked by cuts or reductions in international aid and limited operations of humanitarian agencies—has made the return of migrants a serious challenge. According to Wignaraja, the Taliban administration has not only failed to provide essential services to the population, but also suppressed freedoms and created an insecure environment, undermining prospects for reconstruction and migrant return.
The UNDP further warned that reintegrating returnees into local communities poses a high risk of new humanitarian crises due to the lack of sufficient resources. In such conditions, hasty decisions by European governments could lead to greater instability across the region.
The agency estimates that around 4.5 million Afghan migrants could be returned in the near future—a number that, if realized, would be extremely difficult to manage without international support and the presence of credible institutions.
