The European Union is providing EUR 20 million to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to scale up assistance for displaced people and returnees in high-return areas of Afghanistan, the EU Delegation to Afghanistan announced on 21 June 2026. The funding aims to help returnees transition from dependency to self-reliance through protection services, health, psychosocial support, livelihoods, and recovery programmes, with a focus on women and vulnerable groups.
The allocation comes as Afghanistan remains one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, exacerbated by high return flows. According to IOM data, over 2.8 million undocumented Afghans returned from Iran and Pakistan in 2025 alone, many with limited social networks and resources. The EU funding will expand integrated support for returnees, internally displaced people, and host communities, including livelihood support, vocational training, and assistance for small and medium enterprises. IOM will continue investing in Community Resource Centres across the country, serving as single points of access for essential services and referrals.
H.E. Veronika Bošković Pohar, Chargée d'Affaires of the EU Delegation to Afghanistan, stated that the EU remains firm in its commitment to support returnee reintegration, noting that since 2022 the EU has mobilised over EUR 140 million for the displacement crisis in Afghanistan. IOM Afghanistan Deputy Chief of Mission Mutya Maskun said the contribution will enable IOM to expand critical support, strengthen livelihoods, support small businesses, and enhance access to essential services, helping returnees and host communities build more resilient futures.
The programme is implemented in coordination with UN partners and other actors, with IOM leading data-driven response planning and humanitarian coordination. The funding addresses a major humanitarian need but represents a modest addition to existing EU commitments, with no new policy direction or institutional change.