Emergency Grant Aid to Afghan refugee and host communities in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

On February 24, the Government of Japan decided to extend Emergency Grant Aid of 7 million US dollars through the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in order to support Afghan refugees and their host communities in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan through assistance such as the provision of food and educational and vocational training.

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan has hosted an enormous number of Afghan refugees for over thirty years in the past. The number of refugees who return to Afghanistan has been drastically increased since July 2016. After the winter pause of repatriation process, it is expected that very large scale of refugee will start to return again in March this year. The Government of Afghanistan is concerned about the worsening of humanitarian and security situations in the country. Considering this situation, UNHCR has called the international community for immediate support to Afghan refugees and their host communities in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.