Kabul: The United Nations, along with national and international non-governmental organization partners, has unveiled the 2026 Response Plan for Afghan Returnees (RPAR). The initiative requires a total funding of $529 million to address the needs of Afghan returnees.

According to Qatar News Agency, the plan is designed to support an estimated 2.7 million Afghans expected to return from Iran and Pakistan between April and December 2026. This comes in the wake of nearly 5.9 million Afghans having already returned to the country since September 2023-a significant increase accounting for 10 to 12 percent of Afghanistan's population in a little over two years.

The response plan anticipates a further influx of 1.7 million returnees from Iran and 1.1 million from Pakistan over the next eight months. In light of these projections, the UN and its NGO partners have called on donors to fully support the 2026 RPAR. This funding is crucial to prevent a worsening humanitarian and protection crisis and to lay the groundwork for recovery, sustainable reintegration, and resilience for millions of Afghans.