The Kabul Tribune (KT) — More than 6 million Afghans have returned to the country since 2023, but a severe shortage of funding is limiting efforts to provide adequate shelter for returnees, the United Nations said.
The U.N. Human Settlements Programme, known as UN-Habitat,
said providing adequate shelter is a crucial first step toward ensuring a
dignified life for people returning to Afghanistan. The agency said more
Afghans remain on their way back.
“Returning should be a fresh start,” UN-Habitat said in a
post on X, rather than the beginning of another period of hardship.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs, or OCHA, previously warned that safe shelter remains a basic need in
Afghanistan, while programs supporting shelter, land and site coordination face
severe funding shortages.
OCHA said only 4.7% of the $160 million required for those
efforts had been funded, leaving a $153 million shortfall to support
communities affected by disasters, displacement and returning populations.
The funding gap comes as Afghanistan continues to face
large-scale displacement and the return of millions of people, placing
additional pressure on communities already struggling to provide housing and
basic services.
