More than 1.3 million Afghans have returned from the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan this year, as an USD 8.8 million inter-agency funding gap threatens winter assistance for vulnerable families facing inadequate shelter, heating and other essential supplies such as winter support, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned on Friday.
"Families are returning to communities where housing and basic services are already under severe strain. Winter is now adding another urgent need," said Mihyung Park, IOM's Chief of Mission in Afghanistan. "We need funding now to help families find shelter and keep warm before snow cuts access to remote areas."
The growing number of returnees is placing additional pressure on already overstretched communities. Since September 2023, more than 6.6 million returns have been recorded, including 2.9 million in 2025 and 1.3 million so far in 2026, according to the IOM-led Border Consortium.
Many families do not have access to safe shelter, heating, fuel, warm clothing or blankets. The 2026-2027 winter response plan of the Shelter, Land and Site Coordination Cluster in Afghanistan, which IOM co-leads with UNHCR, aims to assist nearly 200,000 people but has received only USD 4 million of the USD 12.8 million required. Without further funding, more than 140,000 vulnerable people, including returnees, displaced and host communities, could be left without critical winter assistance and exposed to potentially deadly cold.
Afghanistan also faces an increased risk of heavy rain and snowfall this winter. The inter-agency Afghanistan El Niño Preparedness Plan 2026-2027 estimates that a strong El Niño event could bring above-average precipitation between October and April next year.
Winter will also make it harder to reach families in many parts of Afghanistan. IOM's 2025 Afghanistan Climate Vulnerability Assessment found that nearly one quarter of communities have limited access to heating. It also found that 73 per cent rely on unpaved roads, more than a third of which become inaccessible during winter, making it increasingly difficult to deliver assistance to remote areas.
Returnees are not the only families in need of shelter this winter. Roughly 15,000 homes were damaged or destroyed in 2025 by floods and the earthquake centered in Kunar province. Across 183 districts where this damage was reported, families are living in inadequate conditions and are exposed to harsh winter conditions.
IOM is calling for immediate support to close the USD 8.8 million inter-agency funding gap and deliver emergency shelter, winter supplies and essential household items before severe weather cuts off access to vulnerable communities, displaced people and returnees.
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