UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Alexander De Croo and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih are set to visit Afghanistan from 5 to 7 July 2026 as part of a joint mission focused on humanitarian needs, displacement and recovery efforts.

The visit aims to provide the UN officials with direct insights from Afghan communities on the ground, particularly amid nearly seven million returns since late 2023. Discussions are expected to focus on the growing pressures facing returnees, internally displaced families and host communities.

According to the United Nations, the mission will also explore ways to better link humanitarian assistance with long-term support, including livelihoods, basic services, local recovery initiatives and resilience-building efforts.

The mission comes at a time of declining international resources and reduced global attention on Afghanistan.

Afghanistan continues to face large-scale population returns, economic hardship, climate-related shocks and increasing pressure on already strained basic services.

Herat Governor Noor Ahmad Islamjar met with Begenj Abdullayev, head of the TAPI project in Afghanistan and deputy consul of Turkmenistan in Herat, to discuss the progress of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project and ways to expand economic cooperation between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan.

The meeting, attended by the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ representative office in Herat, focused on accelerating the implementation of the TAPI project and strengthening bilateral economic ties.

During the talks, Islamjar proposed holding a joint Afghan-Turkmen trade exhibition in Afghanistan’s Torghundi border area and Turkmenistan’s Serhetabat. He said the exhibition could help boost trade relations, showcase domestic products, and enhance economic cooperation between the two neighboring countries.

Abdullayev thanked Herat’s local authorities for their continued support in advancing the TAPI project, describing their cooperation as instrumental in speeding up work on the key regional energy project.

He also welcomed the proposal for a joint trade exhibition, saying it would be shared with the relevant authorities in Turkmenistan for review before a decision is made on its implementation.

At the end of the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to continuing joint cooperation, expanding economic relations, and facilitating the effective implementation of shared development projects between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan.

The 1,814-kilometer TAPI gas pipeline, including 816 kilometers passing through Afghanistan to Pakistan, is designed to transport 33 billion cubic meters of gas annually. Over 90 kilometers of pipeline have already been installed in Herat.

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Higher Education announced on Saturday that Neda Mohammad Nadeem, the minister of higher education, met with Alireza Bikdeli, Iran’s ambassador to Kabul, to discuss expanding academic cooperation between the two countries.

According to the ministry, Nadeem said during the meeting that Afghanistan and Iran are neighboring countries that need cooperation and constructive engagement with one another.

He also emphasized the importance of exchanging academic expertise between the two countries and reaffirmed the ministry’s readiness to expand academic ties with Iran.

Meanwhile, Bikdeli expressed appreciation for Afghanistan’s recent stance toward Iran and announced his country’s readiness to strengthen educational relations, academic cooperation, and the exchange of expertise with Afghanistan’s Ministry of Higher Education.