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Pakistan + 2 more

Pakistan: Voluntary Repatriation of Afghan Refugees: South West Asia - Quarterly Update (July-September 2020)

Attachments

RETURNS PROCESSED AT ENCASHMENT CENTERS IN AFGHANISTAN

888 Returns from July- Sept 2020*

298 from Iran

575 from Pakistan

15 from other countries

1,265 Returns in 2020

625 from Iran

591 from Pakistan

49 from other countries

Since 2002, nearly 5.3 million Afghan refugees have returned to Afghanistan under UNHCR’s facilitated Voluntary Repatriation programme. At Encashment Centres (EC’s) in Afghanistan, returning refugees receive a cash grant of approximately USD 250 per individual, as well as a range of services to support their reintegration. Facilitated returns from Pakistan resumed on 17 August after a period of suspension due to Covid-19. Among the 630 persons processed for return in Iran 5 did not present themselves to collect the cash grant. 35% of registered returnees interviewed at EC’s in 2020 report that their children did not attend school in the country of asylum, 65% reported attendance. 73% of those interviewed noted that they sourced information regarding the situation in their place of origin from the Afghan community in their country of asylum, 11% from a visit to Afghanistan, 10% from the radio, 3% from UNHCR and 2% from TV.