"I have just concluded my visit to Afghanistan, where over two million Afghans, including half a million children, have returned from Iran and Pakistan so far this year alone, in addition to a significant number from countries in Central Asia.
"This was my fourth time in Afghanistan. I met with senior officials of the de facto authority, including the Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs, Acting Ministers and Provincial Governors in the field. We also met with UN colleagues, donors and civil society partners. I had the opportunity to see UNICEF-supported programmes in Kunduz, Islam Qala and Herat. Compared to my past visits, I witnessed improved access throughout Afghanistan, which has allowed UNICEF to reach more children, women and communities with humanitarian services.
"At the Islam Qala reception centre, where tens of thousands of people are arriving across the border from Iran every day, I saw how humanitarian and protection services are delivered in a coordinated manner by the de facto authorities, UN agencies, NGOs, and other partners. Reception centres have been established at border points across Afghanistan to respond to the high number of returnees, which peaked on 4 July with over 50,000 people arriving in a single day. The families I met at the border indicated they looked forward to the future in their home country but were anxious about rebuilding their lives. One common concern was the continuity of education for their daughters beyond grade 6, concerns echoed by the students I met in Kunduz.
"Education in Afghanistan remains a critical issue, particularly for adolescent girls who are not permitted to go to school beyond grade 6. This not only impacts girls, but all women in the country when they miss out on formal secondary education, university, and subsequently employment. In Kunduz, I visited an Accelerated Learning Class where girls can finish their primary education if they were unable to go to school, and one of the young female teachers told me that she was only months away from finishing medical school before she was forbidden to continue. One less female doctor to serve the critical health needs of women in Afghanistan.
"At the Ustad Abdullah School near Kunduz, I met many bright young students, girls and boys, who wanted to become teachers, surgeons, engineers, full of hope for a future in Afghanistan, which they can contribute to. Heartbreakingly, with the current ban on adolescent girls' education in Afghanistan, for the girls, schooling will finish after grade 6. Education for all children is at the heart of UNICEF's mandate, and we strongly advocate for a lifting of the ban so that girls of all ages can stay in school, receive a good education, can work and play a role in society, for themselves, their families, and for the future growth of Afghanistan. We stand ready to find solutions for the continuity of the education of girls and continue to explore options with the authorities.
"In relation to the returnee crisis, UNICEF acknowledges and extends gratitude for the efforts made by host governments, including Iran and Pakistan, over the years to accommodate Afghan nationals in their countries. We are, however, concerned for the well-being of families and individuals, including children, undertaking the often difficult and sudden journey to return, as well as for how the large-scale returns are impacting the already fragile communities they are returning to in Afghanistan, where more than half the population requires humanitarian assistance and struggling to overcome impacts of more than four decades of conflict complicated by an impeding drought. Children require special protection, particularly unaccompanied children, and should have their best interests assessed by child protection authorities to ensure their protection and well-being, including support for family reunification. By the end of July, UNICEF had documented and supported more than 6,000 unaccompanied and separated children and reunified them with their families and relatives.
"While rapid scale-up has seen a coordinated and joined-up delivery of first-line response at reception points, more is needed to ensure the safe passage of returnees whilst on the move, including the quality of continued care during their return, and sustained access to essential services in areas of return inside Afghanistan to support sustainable reintegration. With limited access to education, health services, and economic opportunities, the ability of communities to absorb the high number of returnees within a compressed timeframe is becoming increasingly difficult.
"UNICEF calls for a systemised and phased approach for the returnees, ensuring the safety, dignity and voluntariness of those on the move, as well as a continuity of care throughout their journey and measures to access continued protection in host countries, if needed.
"Such an approach is particularly critical for vulnerable groups - especially women and children, including separated and unaccompanied children.
"UNICEF therefore calls for dialogue between Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan to phase the returns and allow the Afghan authorities, UN Agencies, NGOs and partners to better manage the response, and calls on donors to support humanitarian action for the returnee population, including for children, both at the point of reception and in areas of final resettlement."
