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World Refugee Day: about 6.5 million Afghans are refugees across globe
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR) says that an estimated 6.5 million Afghans are living as migrants or asylum seekers in about 70 countries.
Addressing a press conference on the occasion of World Refugee Day (June 20), Abdul Basit Ansari, a spokesman for the MoRR, said that Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey host the largest number of Afghan refugees.
“Currently, about 6.5 Afghans are living as migrants in more than 70 countries, and that most of them have migrated to Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey,” Ansari said.
He added that more than four million Afghans, have been forced to flee their homes due to ongoing clashes across the country.
Meanwhile, at an event organized by the Afghan government and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to mark World Refugee Day, President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, reaffirmed the government’s strong commitment to enabling voluntary repatriation in safety and dignity, and sustainable reintegration of Afghan refugees.
“They are an integral part of Afghanistan and without them, the Afghan nation is incomplete”, Ghani said.
The UNHCR in a statement stated that Afghans constitute the world’s largest protracted refugee situation around the globe, with millions displaced at different time intervals.
According to the statement 2020 recorded about 132,700 Afghan refugees, though an overall reduction in numbers in 2020, Afghans still remain the third-largest population displaced across borders with a total of about 2.6 million refugees.
More than 85 percent of Afghan refugees are hosted in Iran and Pakistan, the statement noted.
“Afghan refugees and diaspora abroad have accumulated a wealth of human capital, skills, and assets with which they can play an important role in the nation-building, and reconstruction and development of Afghanistan,” President Ghani said.
Speaking on the occasion of World Refugee Day, Caroline Van Buren, UNHCR’s Representative in Afghanistan commended Government’s efforts in including returnees and displaced Afghans in the national priority programs particularly health, education, and livelihood sectors.
“Inclusion and addressing the vulnerabilities of returnees displaced population through coordinated and comprehensive area-based humanitarian and development investments to build the resilient communities is at the heart of our (government and UNHCR’s) strategies in Afghanistan,” she said.
The Embassy of Japan in Afghanistan has announced scholarship opportunities for Afghan students under the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship Program for the 2027 academic year.
According to the embassy, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan is offering scholarships for graduate-level study at Japanese universities under the research student category, including both regular and non-regular students.
Interested and eligible applicants can download the application guidelines and forms from the official Study in Japan website and are advised to carefully review all requirements before applying.
Applicants who meet the eligibility criteria and have prepared all required documents must submit their applications by 25 May 2026. The embassy said late or incomplete submissions will not be accepted.
The first screening process will include a written examination in Kabul on 18 June 2026, followed by interviews scheduled for July 2026 (date to be confirmed).
The Embassy of Japan noted that the Aga Khan Foundation Afghanistan will assist in collecting applications and facilitating written examinations, but will not be involved in the selection process.
It further emphasized that the selection will be conducted independently by the embassy and the Japanese government, based on academic merit, quality of application documents, and performance in written and interview examinations, without consideration of religious, linguistic, or ethnic background.
The scholarship program is fully funded and free of charge. The embassy warned applicants to remain cautious against scams, stressing that no financial contributions are required at any stage of the application process.
Abdul Salam Hanafi, Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs, has launched the distribution of more than 1,000 residential land plots for returning migrants in Logar province.
During a visit to Logar, Hanafi inaugurated a new township and said the initiative aims to support Afghan returnees by providing them with housing opportunities and improving settlement conditions.
He called for speeding up the process of distributing residential plots designated for migrants, stressing the importance of timely implementation.
“We inaugurated this township today, which includes more than 1,000 plots. These plots will be distributed to migrants. In addition, other townships will also be constructed soon,” he said.
Hanafi also noted that over the past three years, more than five million Afghan migrants have returned from neighboring countries, adding that efforts are underway to provide them with essential services and support their reintegration.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to Afghanistan, Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani, has urged the Afghan authorities to take concrete action against militant threats that Islamabad says originate from Afghan soil.
Speaking at an event at the Pakistan Embassy in Kabul marking the first anniversary of Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos against India, Nizamani reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to maintaining “brotherly ties” with Afghanistan.
The ambassador also highlighted Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts in reducing tensions between Iran and the United States, saying Islamabad’s initiatives reflected its commitment to regional and global peace.
During the ceremony, Nizamani reaffirmed Pakistan’s determination to defend itself against any aggression.
“Pakistan’s desire for peace must never be mistaken for weakness,” the ambassador said, calling for heightened vigilance against regional threats.
Pakistani officials have consistently claimed that militants use Afghan soil to attack Pakistan. The Islamic Emirate, however, has denied this claim and said that Afghanistan is not responsible for Pakistan’s security failures.
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