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ILO training supports recovery and reintegration for former drug users in Afghanistan
The courses were conducted in Logar and Ghazni provinces during September and October 2025.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has provided business and vocational skills training to 150 former drug users in Afghanistan, supporting their recovery and helping them move toward economic self-reliance.
The initiative was implemented under the Recovery to Empowerment: Entrepreneurship and Employment Initiatives (REE-EEI) South-eastern Project 2025 and reached 150 participants—75 women and 75 men—through entrepreneurship and technical training tailored to market needs.
The courses were conducted in Logar and Ghazni provinces during September and October 2025.
According to the ILO, the programme aimed to help participants rebuild their lives by improving employability and income-generating opportunities. One female participant described the training as “a turning point,” saying it offered a chance to reconnect with family, reintegrate into society and establish small businesses to support loved ones.
Women took part in the Gender and Entrepreneurship Together Ahead (GET Ahead) programme, while men attended Generate Your Business Idea (GYBI) and Start Your Business (SYB) courses.
All participants developed business plans, with the top 60 candidates—30 women and 30 men—set to be referred to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for seed funding and follow-up support, including financial literacy training and business coaching.
In addition to entrepreneurship training, the REE-EEI project is enhancing access to wage employment. A market assessment across three south-eastern provinces identified high-demand sectors, leading to the enrolment of 110 treated drug users—60 women and 50 men—in vocational training programmes such as handicrafts, mobile phone repair, electrical work, solar installation, motorcycle repair and tailoring.
Funded by the Special Trust Fund for Afghanistan (STFA), the initiative contributes to relapse prevention, economic resilience and social inclusion.
Tite Habiyakare, ILO Senior Coordinator for Afghanistan, said the programme highlights the link between recovery and economic empowerment, noting that equipping former drug users with skills and opportunities helps them rebuild their futures while strengthening community resilience.
Sajjad Haider Khan, spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, says there is no government decision to return all Afghan students from Pakistan.
Khan said Afghan students who are enrolled in valid degree programmes and hold valid visas can remain in Pakistan and complete their education.
He added that students who are not registered at a university or do not hold valid visas have been instructed to return to Afghanistan.
The Pakistani official said students studying in foreign countries are expected to have both valid enrollment and valid visas for the purpose of their stay, stressing that both are necessary.
This comes after the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council recently decided to expel Afghan medical students from the country and instructed universities not to enroll new students.
Naqibullah Ahmadi, Acting Ambassador of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in Malaysia, met on Thursday with Tan Sri Dato Johari bin Abdul, Speaker of Malaysia’s House of Representatives, to discuss bilateral relations.
According to a statement from the Afghan Embassy in Malaysia, the two sides discussed the Islamic Emirate’s foreign policy, Afghanistan’s engagement with regional countries and the international community, as well as the country’s security situation, economic developments and investment opportunities.
The two sides also discussed further expanding bilateral relations between Afghanistan and Malaysia, joint cooperation in various sectors, and facilitating the movement of government officials, businesspeople and tourists between the two countries.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, met on Thursday with Sadin Ayyıldız, Türkiye’s Ambassador to Afghanistan, to discuss expanding economic, trade and transit relations between the two countries, as well as resolving problems faced by Afghan migrants in Türkiye.
According to a statement from the deputy PM’s office, Baradar expressed appreciation for the activities of Turkish companies that have invested in various sectors in Afghanistan and called on other Turkish investors to invest in the country as well.
The Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs said the Islamic Emirate would provide the necessary facilities for Turkish investors.
Baradar also stressed the need to resolve the problems of Afghan migrants in Türkiye and provide them with greater assistance and facilities.
Meanwhile, Ayyıldız welcomed the increase in trade between Afghanistan and Türkiye and said his country was ready to further expand its relations with Afghanistan in transport, transit, health, education and other economic sectors.
The Turkish ambassador added that Türkiye would continue its cooperation in strengthening relations between Afghanistan and the international community and in presenting a realistic image of Afghanistan to the world.
He also said Türkiye had introduced facilities for issuing visas to Afghans and would seek to provide further facilitation in this area.
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