From long ago, the hospitality of Iranians has been well known. Since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan, during these many years, Afghans have sought asylum in Iran and have started living here.

Now they love Iran like their own country. Their children study here and go to the university. They get married here and start families. The government and people of Iran have always done what they could to serve them with kindness.

The latest example to prove this statement is the vaccination campaign to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the refugees were vaccinated just like all the Iranian citizens. Providing access to higher education, employment opportunities, and healthcare through the Universal Public Health Insurance for refugees is all proof of the hospitality of us Iranians.

In an exclusive interview with Iran Newspaper published on September 4, Freijsen said Iran is an exemplary country that has acted very well in hosting refugees and has been hosting them for a long time.

Forty years have passed since Iran started hosting them [refugee]. As we have always said, Iran has had positive approaches toward refugees, we appreciate that, and we are honored to support Iran’s efforts.

In fact, Iran provides wide-ranging services for refugees: such as basic healthcare services, education, and vocational training. And as you said, during the COVID-19 pandemic, those who were in Iran, whether the ones that had passports or the ones that had documentation and were [registered] refugees, received the vaccination.

We have always said that Iran has positive approaches toward refugees, and this is commendable and we are proud to support Iran’s initiatives.

We need to create a favorable environment for those people [refugees] who have recently entered the country or those who have been in Iran before.

This means that they should be able to stay in Iran and not be returned to their own country because Afghanistan is still not safe.

The main part of our work is to support the government to attend to the needs of refugees, we cooperate in the areas of registration, data collection, and provision of documents.

Moreover, as long as these people [refugees] are in the country, they need work. So, we should help them access the job market.

For this purpose, we assist both the government and the relevant organizations. We are also involved in the area of education for children and adolescents, and even adults.

We have vocational training programs so that refugees can first be trained and then start working.

Another focus is the area of health and medical care. We believe that healthy refugees are productive and resilient, refugees can both be helpful in Iran and be beneficial to their country when the situation improves, and they can return.

In short, I can say that three sectors are very important for us: access to aid, meeting basic needs, and livelihood, and we are always active in these areas and support the governments and organizations involved in them.

António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, has praised Iran’s generosity which – for decades – has hosted millions of Afghans in need.

It is especially important to understand refugees. We should realize that these people, like us, have many positive potentials.

Refugees are not people who sit idle in a corner doing nothing. On the contrary, refugees want access to the job market, employment, and education, in order to help the societies in which they have sought refuge.

They want to be able to travel, have access to medical care, get married, start families, and in the end, when the situation allows it, return to their country.

These people probably have more hope and motivation than us. They only need to be well understood.

Many documents exist that show conflict to be the main reason for displacement [of people] either within countries or outside, and this is an obvious fact that is not unknown. What is new is that conflict has been combined with other elements—for example, climate change or lack of natural resources such as water.

These elements have been combined together like a chain which has increased negative impact on people. In the end, people are forced to move and leave their countries. Small solutions are not enough to overcome these crises, and we should look for constructive solutions to resolve these issues. When the situation is not good, it is not strange that a person would enter Iran from another country or seek asylum in other countries.

It is very natural: if I or you were living in an unfavorable situation, we would do the same. If you were a farmer and had no land to farm or no water, or your rights are violated in your own country, you would be forced to migrate. Our humanitarian support is not the main solution but only temporary relief. The main solution is peace, tranquility, development, and access to human rights. All world leaders are aware of this and should only start acting according to it.

According to the data from the government, as of October 2022, Iran hosts 800,000 registered refugees (Amayesh cardholders). Of this number, approximately 780,000 are Afghan, and about 20,000 are Iraqi refugees.

Also, around 586,000 Afghans possess passports and Iranian visas, including those who had Amayesh cards before and later received student visas to continue their university education.

Of course, approximately 2.1 million Afghans live in the country without documentation.

President Ebrahim Raisi has said despite the fact that the Europeans have made many claims about supporting the Afghans, but have not provided them with any assistance, contrary to their comments, today more than four million Afghans are guests of the Islamic Republic.

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 generously considered refugees for vaccination against coronavirus.

António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, has praised Iran’s generosity which – for decades – has hosted millions of Afghans in need.

I will never forget the generosity of countries like Pakistan and Iran, which – for decades – have hosted millions of Afghans in need,” Guterres said in a statement released on January 26 to the Security Council on Afghanistan.

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For the first time in two years since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, UNHCR and the Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants Affairs (BAFIA) of the Ministry of Interior, brought together refugees, host communities, government officials, members of the diplomatic community, and humanitarian and development partners to celebrate the courage, talent, and resilience of millions of Afghans exiled in the country.

In an event held in Tehran, UNHCR’s Officer in Charge, Inna Gladkova, appreciated Iran for generously hosting Afghans for over four decades and stressed the need to mobilize even more international support for Iran, at a time when wars and conflicts are causing the highest levels of forced displacement ever recorded in history.

UNHCR’s Officer in Charge, Inna Gladkova, appreciated Iran for generously hosting Afghans for over four decades and stressed the need to mobilize even more international support for the country. Rezadoust, the Director-General of BAFIA, Pirkoohi, Director-General of International Affairs, Environment and Sustainable Development Department of the Ministry of Foreign affairs, and other government officials also attended.

Other events in Khorasan Razavi, Fars, Isfahan, and Kerman provinces included colorful refugee-focused events, photo exhibitions, theatre performances, refugee craft bazaars, and drawing competitions.

As one of the world’s leading refugee-hosting countries, Iran has shown incredible generosity towards refugees by allowing them access to health, education, and livelihood opportunities – essential building blocks to becoming independent and self-sufficient. Despite the growing economic challenges, the Government of Iran has continued to invest in critical services for refugees and has maintained its inclusive policies.

UNHCR welcomes the ongoing headcount exercise by the Government of Iran to record all undocumented Afghans and newly arrived asylum-seekers in the country. This is a positive step to provide international protection, including documentation, to all those who may need it. A solid asylum system that can provide accurate data about persons of concern, will also allow for more international support for Iran.

A photography exhibition showcasing Iran’s long history of hosting refugees, starting from the 16th century with Armenians to this date, was one of the main features of the event. A refugee handicraft bazaar also attracted large numbers of people to appreciate Afghan crafts, cuisine, and music at the landmark Milad Tower.

 Refugees in Iran

As the number one destination for Afghan refugees, Iran alone, more than any other European or Western country in times of crisis, has opened its arms to accept asylum seekers from its eastern neighbor.

The number of Afghan immigrants living in Iran has exceeded four million. After entering Iran, Afghan immigrants had the highest presence in the provinces of Khorasan Razavi, South Khorasan, and Sistan-Baluchestan.

President Ebrahim Raisi has said despite the fact that the Europeans have made many claims about supporting the Afghans, but have not provided them with any assistance, contrary to their comments, today more than four million Afghans are guests of the Islamic Republic.

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 for vaccination against coronavirus.

António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, has praised Iran’s generosity which – for decades – has hosted millions of Afghans in need.

I will never forget the generosity of countries like Pakistan and Iran, which – for decades – have hosted millions of Afghans in need,” Guterres said in a statement released on January 26 to the Security Council on Afghanistan.

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The letter reads as follows:

The current state of the world and the many crises such as Corona, famine, natural disasters, and wars are endangering human life more than ever. In the meantime, the crisis of “asylum” and “immigration” has been a constant and often unanswered issue of states. What has hurt the feelings of the world today and has caught the eyes of all “asylum seekers” is the displacement and confusion of thousands of asylum seekers in the border region of Belarus and Poland.

It is unfortunate that to date, human rights officials and activists of this area in various fields have not been able to find its solution. Being in the cold season and the lack of minimum accommodation facilities and the lack of any material and spiritual support has caused this issue to become a human catastrophe.

Unfortunately, we see the negligence and sometimes ill-considered statements of EU officials in this regard. Following the publication of remarks by Julien Odoul, spokesman for the French National Rally party and a member of France’s far-right party, on asylum seekers and displaced refugees on the Polish-Belarusian border, it is necessary to remind EU officials of the principles of human rights and the rules of law adopted by the United Nations:

For more than two centuries, French Republicans have called France the “center of human rights in the world,” but prevented the admission of asylum seekers and the inhumane statements made by French officials about the status of asylum seekers and their indifference to human rights principles which is incompatible with Universal human rights and Islamic human rights as well, is another sign of this neglect. It is expected that EU officials shall condemn any action and words that are contrary to the protection of the initial rights of human beings and that assume their specified responsibility as well as plan and take effective measures to resolve this issue. Meantime, French Government may fulfill its effective role by taking a peaceful approach and putting its human rights two hundred years of pioneer claim into action.

According to Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948, every human being is entitled to migrate and asylum and the right to asylum is a human right and in accordance with the Convention on Refugees (1951), The Parties are bound to apply the rules of the Convention without discrimination to asylum seekers. Article 3 of the Convention provides for: “The Contracting States shall apply the provisions of this Convention without discrimination on the basis of race, religion or nationality in respect of refugees.” In fact, the French Government and its officials, referring to the “dangerousness” of these people to Europe, once again violate human rights, with discriminatory behavior and the use of force and through military and law enforcement forces to prevent these people from seeking asylum in states of refuge. According to the above-mentioned convention, the mainland of refugees cannot be a basis for discrimination and non-acceptance, and on the other hand, the use of the word “dangerous” for Europe includes the basic discrimination and a sign of superiority complex of some European states.

The right to life is an inherent and fundamental human right under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In the last two weeks, the number of victims of this situation has reached more than ten people, and the negligence of the French authorities on the right to life and the right to asylum of these people will lead to the death of many more asylum seekers due to cold, hunger and other reasons. The least duty of states and authorities regarding these asylum seekers is to protect their “right to life”. Housing and protecting them from the cold and hunger is the minimum human rights protection that these states should provide, but unfortunately the European authorities, by defining the borders of the European Union, have no human protection plan for these people.

Undoubtedly, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees must address this issue and the behavior of European authorities regarding asylum seekers and the rights of refugees and displaced persons, to prevent the occurrence of such a tragic event and prevent the death of hundreds of people. The principles of human rights are dramatically and symbolically emphasized by European authorities; while in the policies and behavior of these officials, the basic principles of human rights, which are also emphasized in Islamic human rights, are repeatedly ignored. Islamic human rights have taken a more complete look at the international human rights instruments on the refugee rights situation and the issue of asylum, and have made the reception of refugees “obligatory”.

Accordingly, ignoring the rights of refugees is reprehensible and obscene. Article 12 of the Islamic Declaration of Human Rights, 1990, Cairo, explicitly states that: “Every human being has the right, in accordance with the Shari’a, to move and choose a place of residence inside or outside his country, and if he is oppressed, he can seek refuge in another country.” And it is obligatory for “the country of asylum to be patient with him until a shelter is provided for him… ” Therefore, paying attention to the rights of refugees in Islamic countries is considered a legal obligation, and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has also repeatedly proved its practical concern for Afghan and other immigrants.

Finally, with regard to the rules and principles of human rights, it is necessary to pursue the necessary legal action against the situation of asylum seekers and refugees at the borders who are involved in the political games of European governments, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees should support the basic principles of human rights to address the situation of asylum seekers and refugees stranded at the border.

The silence and indifference of the international communities and organizations that are claimants to defend human rights to the situation of asylum seekers on the border between Belarus and Poland could seriously call into question the independence of these bodies and structures and provide grounds for further international distrust.

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Amid intensified clashes in Nimruz province in the country’s southwest, nearly two hundred Afghan refugees have been forced to flee to Iran over the weekend.

Many more Afghan civilians may find themselves trapped if they are unable to escape from the highly volatile situation. It is estimated that since the beginning of the year nearly 400,000 Afghans have been internally displaced within the country – some 244,000 since May alone.

Iran kept the Milak border crossing open in light of the intensifying humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. Not doing so may put thousands of lives at risk.

In cooperation with Iran’s Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants’ Affairs (BAFIA), UNHCR has provided immediate assistance to new arrivals, including food and water.

UNHCR and partners have today joined an inter-agency mission led by the government to border areas and potential refugee sites, to further assess the humanitarian needs on the ground and scale up the response.

Together with other humanitarian actors, UNHCR is prepared to provide urgent assistance and support reception arrangements – including emergency shelter, latrines, and other core relief items. Hygiene packs, including soap and face masks, will also be distributed to help families arriving stay safe in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

With almost one million Afghan refugee card holders already in the country, the Government of Iran has consistently welcomed Afghans fleeing protracted conflict and violence for over forty years, including through exemplary inclusion of Afghans in national health and education systems. UNHCR appeals to the government to continue this tradition of hospitality and lifesaving protection.

No large-scale displacement across borders from Afghanistan has been observed this year. Any major influx would clearly require the international community to step up immediate and sustained support to both Afghanistan and its neighbors, in a spirit of responsibility- and burden-sharing.

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).

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Freijsen made the remarks in a meeting with Mahdi Mahmoudi, head of Iran’s Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants.

Freijsen said in a meeting that was held in Switzerland some time ago the issue of providing services to refugees was raised and it is hoped that a mechanism is devised for more support to Iran as it hosts hundreds of thousands of refugees.

He also said in the current year the UNHCR will try, through cooperation by Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, to activate organizations and international bodies active in areas of refugees.

For his part, Mahmoudi said it is hoped that in the current year international organizations draw up a plan for cooperation with Iran because “we believe that in the areas of providing services to refugees greater and better decisions should be taken.”

In May 2019, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called on the Western countries not to shrug off their responsibility towards Afghan refugees.

“Supporting immigrants and refugees is an international issue and therefore bearing the responsibilities for them falls upon all countries,” Araghchi noted.

Iran has been hosting millions of Afghan refugees since the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979. Iran also hosted Iraqi refugees fleeing from Saddam Hussein’s brutality in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Araghchi said Iran has warmly welcomed immigrants from Afghanistan and other countries over the last 40 years.

Araghchi, however, said international organizations and other governments, especially the Western ones, have been the cause of many sufferings for the Afghan people and should share part of the burden.

The Iranian deputy foreign minister said that it can be done by

Receiving refugees or paying their share are what they can do, the deputy foreign minister said.

“About 468,000 Afghans attend public schools in Iran, each costing the country 600 euros a year, and more than 23,000 college students, each costing 15,000 euros annually,” he explained.

The senior diplomat reiterated that expelling refugees is not on the government’s agenda. “However,” he said, “should the U.S. sanctions impact Iran’s oil sale and reduce its revenues, Iran would have to consider new approaches toward them, hinting that Afghans would likely then look toward Europe for refuge.”

In a relevant development in September 2018, Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli called on the European Union (EU) to help Tehran facilitate refugees’ return to their homeland.

“We are trying to achieve suitable management on the issue of refugees and this needs that both the European Union and the United Nations to concentrate on this issue,” Rahmani Fazli said in a meeting with visiting United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi in Tehran.

He reiterated that the European countries should feel responsible and give the necessary help for the repatriation of refugees to their countries.

“Iran expects Europe and affluent countries to help cover the costs imposed on host countries by refugees,” Rahmani Fazli added.

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Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wants a “return to political dialogue by all parties and put an immediate ceasefire in Libya,” the UN said in a statement. “Any foreign support to the warring parties will only deepen the ongoing conflict and further complicate efforts to reach a peaceful and comprehensive political solution.”

Emphasizing the continued violations of the UN Security Council (UNSC) arms embargo imposed in 2011 would make matters worse, the statement said “strict adherence to the embargo is essential for creating an environment favorable to a cessation of hostilities, Anadolu Agency reported.

Since the ouster of longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: one in eastern Libya supported mainly by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates and another in Tripoli, which enjoys UN and international recognition.

Late last year, UNHCR in a statement said”UNHCR … renews its call for protecting civilian lives including refugees and migrants in detention and respecting international humanitarian law and international human rights law”.

The UN refugee agency also expressed concern about a recent deadly airstrike that hit an area close to a refugee center in the city of Zawiya, some 45 km west of the capital Tripoli.

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Speaking to a few reporters, Turk said Iran has done an exemplary job integrating Afghan refugees into its society and educational system.

Turk was in Tehran to hold talks with authorities including deputy foreign minister and deputy interior minister over the matter of refugees in Iran.

Turk began his briefing focusing on his trip to Iran:

“With a long-standing relationship with Iran, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is the largest and most operational UN agency in Iran. It has field offices all over the country.

At the global level, UNHCR is negotiating a global compact on refugees. It came out of a discussion that took place in New York in September 2016, when the leaders of all 193 member states of the UN adopted the New York Declaration of Migrants and Refugees, a landmark document as it was adopted at the level of heads of state of government. The declaration gave birth to two processes. One process is to develop the global compact on migration and the other one is to develop a global compact on refugees. At UNHCR we were asked to develop the global compact on refugees and as a result we obviously want to have a dialogue with the major host countries and Iran is one of the longest and largest refugee hosting countries in the world and has one of the most protracted refugee situations because of the situation in Afghanistan.

For me, I am somewhat relieved that the conversation with the member states and our strategic partner, Iran, has gone well, and whatever is happening inside the country (regarding refugees) is being addressed.I don’t think the international community has given enough credit and attention to the generosity and creativity of Iran hosting millions of Afghan refugees for almost four decades. We hope that there will be more support from the international community for what the Iranian government and society has done for Afghan refugees over the years.

At the moment, we have about 970,000 refugees with Amayesh cards, mostly Afghans, but there are also two million undocumented Afghans. We don’t know exactly their number. It could be 1.5 to 2 million, based on the head count by Iranian authorities.

It is also important to bear in mind what Iran has been doing. First of all, they have allowed over 400,000 school-aged refugee children to have access to the national education system, including primary, secondary and tertiary education. They have also allowed access to services like healthcare insurance to Afghans, mostly the vulnerable ones. It has been important for us to feed the observation from Iran back into the global process.

The purpose of discussions taking place now is about responsibility sharing because refugees are an issue of international concern and we need to realize that it is not just a few host countries doing it all like Jordan, Iran, Turkey and Pakistan. It really involves every member state of the UN. We want to bring the message back from the major host countries what it means to host refuses for many years.

The floor was then open to questions and answers and below are some of them:

Q. What was the nature of your discussions with Iranian officials?

A. The discussions were about the global compact on refugees. It was very constructive to see Iran’s experience in this context. In some situations in a country you have a parallel system. You have a camp based system where refugees are almost warehoused and they have no integration into the housing system and education. For years, however, Iran has practiced an inclusive approach, because it has recognized that it doesn’t help the manage maintenance in camps, which is happening in most countries in the world. However, they need support and it is important for us to voice that and have their voice heard.

Because of this global debate, we hope to create more awareness about global refugees in Iran and draw more support to Iran.

Q. Has the current political tension between Iran and the U.S. made it tougher to have donors commit support for Iran as it has hosted million of refugees for decades?

A. The refugee situation is humanitarian. No one has any interest in politicizing this and for us it is a key issue. At UNHCR we have an advantage that in our mandate it says we are humanitarian, not a political organization. We want to bring that humanitarian dimension into discussion because what Iran is doing deserves our utmost appreciation and admiration not just on behalf of the UNHCR but the international community and we hope that there will be more recognition for what Iran is doing for refugees. We hope that the humanitarian space created here for Afghan refugees gets its proper credit internationally.

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