TEHRAN – Finland has contributed €1.5 million to help the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) support Afghan refugees in Iran.

This particular donation will help UNHCR, in coordination with its Government counterpart, the Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants’ Affairs (BAFIA), to provide assistance such as healthcare, education, and livelihood support to the most vulnerable persons of concern in the country.

Finland’s contribution will also help UNHCR pre-position Core Relief Items, hygiene kits, and tents along with border areas, to help Afghans who are recently fleeing conflict and discrimination in their country.

In 2021 alone, UNHCR is directly aware of some 18,000 Afghans who newly arrived in Iran using irregular routes, although the total number that has entered the country is likely to be significantly higher. Since the beginning of the year, over 660,000 persons were newly displaced within Afghanistan itself.

In 2021 alone, some 18,000 Afghans newly arrived in Iran.“Continued instability and uncertainty in Afghanistan have led to many Afghans fleeing to neighboring countries such as Iran.

Finland’s financial contribution will help strengthen the humanitarian response in Iran by allowing us to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to those most in need, including newly arriving Afghan refugees,” said Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR Representative in Iran.

“Finland highly appreciates the valuable work and action of UNHCR in this difficult and rapidly changing situation,” said Kari Kahiluoto, Ambassador-Designate of Finland to Iran.

Finland’s support aims to ensure that refugee-hosting countries get the support they need from the international community, recognizing that a sustainable solution to refugee situations cannot be achieved without international cooperation.

The Afghan displacement situation is the most protracted and third largest in the world. With the situation in Afghanistan still being volatile, sustained international support for UNHCR’s programs will be needed in 2022 and beyond – both to ensure adequate emergency support for new arrivals, and to continue helping Afghan persons of concern who were already in Iran.

Iran hosting world's fourth-largest refugee community

Iran is hosting the world's fourth-largest refugee community. The country has generously hosted approximately 1 million refugees for the past 30 years. The majority, which mainly came from Afghanistan and Iraq, live in urban areas. Approximately 31,000 of the most vulnerable refugees living in 20 settlements located throughout the country.

Based on the latest statistics, over 3 million Afghans are living in Iran - some 780,000 Afghan refugees, over 2 million undocumented Afghans, and another 600,000 Afghan passport-holders with Iranian visas.

However, in light of the pandemic, all refugees, even those undocumented, benefited from access to free primary health services and free COVID-19 related testing, treatment, and hospitalization, just like Iranian nationals.

The same happened for the vaccination when the country has generously considered refugees over the age of 75 for vaccination against coronavirus.

In order to support the refugees living in the country, the seventh phase of the health insurance plan will cover 120,000 vulnerable refugees through a memorandum of understanding signed between the Health Insurance Organization and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

In Iran, UNHCR is seeking $16.2 million for its COVID-19 emergency, while requires an additional $98.7 million to support Iran in maintaining and sustaining its commendable inclusive refugee policies, under the umbrella of the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR).

FB/MG