Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, met on Wednesday with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

During the meeting, the two sides discussed the situation of Afghan refugees, humanitarian and development assistance for returnees, and future cooperation to support the people of Afghanistan.

According to a statement from the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office, Baradar thanked the United Nations and international organizations for providing humanitarian assistance to Afghan refugees.

He stressed that the United Nations and international organizations should allocate a greater share of their assistance to development projects in order to provide returnees and internally displaced people with shelter, schools, electricity, safe drinking water, healthcare services, employment opportunities, and other essential services.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees praised the Islamic Emirate’s development efforts and assured Baradar that efforts would continue to mobilize greater international assistance for Afghanistan to help improve the living conditions of its people.

Two senior United Nations officials have urged Western nations to engage with Afghanistan, warning that isolating the country could fuel instability with consequences extending beyond its borders.

“The lesson of the recent past is that ignoring Afghanistan is not a good thing to do,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih told The Associated Press during a joint visit to the country with UN Development Programme Administrator Alexander De Croo.

Despite ongoing challenges, Salih said engagement is the best way to encourage positive policies and maintain stability. “Without it, we may well risk instability, with all the implications of that instability,” he said, citing extremism, drug trafficking, crime and refugee movements.

Afghanistan continues to face overlapping crises after decades of conflict, including natural disasters, climate change and a surge in returning refugees. Nearly six million Afghans have returned since 2023, mainly from Pakistan and Iran, with another two million expected this year, according to the UN.

The influx has placed additional pressure on communities already struggling with widespread poverty, while deep cuts in international aid have further strained essential services. De Croo said 422 health centres had closed over the past year because of funding shortages, leaving more than three million people without access to basic healthcare.

Although no Western country has formally recognised the Islamic Emirate government since it returned to power in 2021, the officials said Afghanistan has made progress in several areas, including security, anti-corruption efforts and reducing opium production.

“I wouldn’t close my eyes to the fact that there is progress,” De Croo said, noting that drug production has fallen by around 95%. However, he warned that continued international support is needed to provide farmers with alternative livelihoods and prevent a resurgence in poppy cultivation.

The restrictions imposed on Afghan women and girls remain a major obstacle to closer international relations. Both officials said they raised the issue with IEA authorities and stressed that constructive engagement offered the best chance of encouraging meaningful reforms.

“It is vital to remind the world that the price of inaction far outweighs action,” Salih said. “You cannot ignore Afghanistan, and what happens in Afghanistan does not necessarily stay in Afghanistan.”

The World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean Regional Director, Hanan Balkhy, has called for stronger immunization programmes and sustained investment in Afghanistan’s healthcare system following her fourth mission to the country with the Polio Oversight Board (POB).

During the visit, Balkhy and the POB delegation met with Afghan health authorities, frontline healthcare workers, United Nations agencies and international partners to assess ongoing efforts to eradicate polio and ensure every child has access to life-saving vaccines.

She stressed that ending polio requires more than mass vaccination campaigns, highlighting the importance of strengthening routine immunization, maintaining essential health services and building a more resilient healthcare system.

“Reaching every child with life-saving vaccines must go hand in hand with strengthening routine immunization and sustaining essential health services,” Balkhy said.

She said the delegation had witnessed the commitment of health workers and partners across Afghanistan despite significant operational and humanitarian challenges, expressing confidence that continued collaboration could accelerate progress toward eliminating the disease.

Balkhy added that combining humanitarian support with long-term investment in healthcare would not only help eradicate polio but also strengthen the country’s ability to protect communities from other preventable diseases.

Afghanistan remains one of only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus is still endemic, alongside neighbouring Pakistan. Health officials have repeatedly warned that insecurity, population movement, gaps in routine immunization and limited access to some communities continue to pose challenges to eradication efforts. Strengthening routine vaccination and primary healthcare services is considered critical to achieving a polio-free Afghanistan and preventing future outbreaks.