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.

Afghanistan’s Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, Mawlavi Abdul Kabir, has called on the international community to increase humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, stressing that aid should be guided by humanitarian needs rather than political considerations.

According to the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, Abdul Kabir made the remarks during a meeting with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Barham Salih, and the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme Alexander De Croo, where they discussed the situation of Afghan refugees, the challenges facing returning migrants, and ways to expand cooperation.

During the meeting, Salih reaffirmed the United Nations’ commitment to supporting the Afghan people, noting that the growing number of returnees has increased the need for both humanitarian and long-term development assistance.

He also voiced concern over the forced deportation of Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan, emphasizing the importance of regional cooperation and multilateral dialogue to address refugee issues and ensure the safe and dignified return of Afghans.

The head of UNDP, who recently visited development projects in Jalalabad and Mazar-e-Sharif, highlighted the importance of sustained international cooperation to support Afghanistan’s economic recovery and make greater use of the country’s existing resources and human capital.

Abdul Kabir thanked UN agencies for their continued support, noting that decades of conflict, instability and economic hardship have displaced millions of Afghans. He called for greater international efforts to address the root causes of migration while increasing assistance for vulnerable communities across the country.

He stressed that humanitarian assistance should remain focused on helping those most in need and should not become entangled in political disputes.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Barham Salih, has called on Afghanistan and Pakistan to ease tensions and revive diplomatic dialogue, while warning that Afghanistan urgently needs greater international support as millions of Afghans return home.

Speaking during a visit to Kabul and in an interview with Sky News, Salih said prolonged tensions between the neighbouring countries risk creating opportunities for extremist and armed groups to exploit instability, underscoring the need for dialogue and regional cooperation.

He urged both governments to strengthen existing diplomatic mechanisms, including the Afghanistan-Pakistan-Iran trilateral framework, the Doha process, and a Swiss-backed strategic initiative aimed at addressing challenges facing Afghan refugees.

Salih also highlighted the scale of Afghanistan’s humanitarian and development challenges, noting that more than six million Afghans have returned to the country since 2023, placing additional pressure on already strained communities and public services.

During his visit, Salih travelled with the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, Alexander De Croo, meeting returnees, host communities, women and girls, and witnessing both the hardships facing Afghans and their resilience.

He said Afghanistan’s long-term recovery depends on stability, inclusion and creating opportunities for all citizens, stressing that the participation of women and girls is essential for sustainable economic growth, poverty reduction and social resilience.

While humanitarian assistance remains vital, Salih said emergency aid alone is no longer sufficient to meet Afghanistan’s growing needs.

He called for increased investment in protection programmes, livelihoods, education, healthcare and other basic services to help returnees rebuild their lives and reduce dependence on humanitarian assistance.

“Lasting solutions require UNHCR and UNDP working side by side,” Salih said, urging the international community to maintain its engagement and support Afghanistan’s long-term recovery.

Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have remained strained in recent years over border security, militant activity and the mass return of Afghan nationals from Pakistan.

Humanitarian agencies have warned that continued regional instability, combined with the rapid influx of returnees, could deepen Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis unless accompanied by sustained international development support.