UNHCR Afghan repatriation programs

Under the program, voluntary repartriation centers were established in ten Iranian cities, such as Mashhad, Zahedan, Qom, Isfahan, Kerman, Shiraz, Yazd, Arak, and two in Tehran. The centers provide Afghan refugees with an assistance package, including a small monetary grant to facilitate their return.

The goal of the program was to repatriate 400,000 Afghan refugees by the end of the Iranian year (March 21, 2003). By March 1, 2003, 395,752 Afghans had voluntarily returned to Afghanistan. Another 2 million Afghan refugees in Iran will be repatriated in the next three years.