OCHA warns returnee families in Afghanistan face urgent winter needs
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned that, as winter approaches, thousands of families returning to Afghanistan are at serious risk without adequate shelter, heating equipment and basic assistance, and that their needs must be addressed urgently.
OCHA wrote on the social media platform X on Monday, 20 Mehr, that aid to families in need should not be delayed. The agency stressed: “Winter will not wait, and humanitarian assistance should not be delayed either.”
Previously, the United Nations said it needs $529 million in funding to support about 2.7 million Afghan migrants expected to return from Iran and Pakistan to Afghanistan between April and December 2026.
At the same time, the International Organization for Migration said in a report that 54 percent of returnees and returning families are unable to meet their basic needs.
These warnings come as Afghanistan faces a widespread humanitarian crisis, poverty, food insecurity and the return of large numbers of migrants, and aid agencies say a lack of funding has limited the capacity to respond to the needs of vulnerable families.
