Iran crisis: UN stays and delivers

This article is published in association with United Nations.

A clearer picture of needs across Iran is beginning to emerge after the conflict this month with Israel, which left hundreds dead, several hospitals hit and a spike in Afghan refugees returning home, the UN’s top official in Tehran said on Tuesday.

“In the early morning hours of 13 June, a number of attacks took place in Tehran, and other parts of Iran,” said Stefan Priesner, UN Resident Coordinator in Iran.

“Then over the next 12 days there were multiple attacks by either side…we know that there have been at least 627 people killed and almost 5,000 injured in Iran.

Underlining that the UN remained in Iran through the duration of the conflict, Mr. Priesner noted that discussions are ongoing with the Government on “how to adapt existing UN programmes to meet the country’s post-conflict needs”, he told journalists in Geneva via Zoom.

Tehran insight

Speaking from the Iranian capital, the UN official confirmed reports that Tehran had seen a population movement as several million residents left the city seeking safety from the missile strikes. He mentioned the solidarity that Iranians had shown towards each other, with families in the north and the countryside hosting those coming from Tehran.

Looking ahead, Mr. Priesner said: “we know that the health sector has very specific needs given the damage.” 

UN Iran

Stefan Priesner, UN Resident Coordinator in Iran.

The UN’s development and humanitarian presence in Iran spans 18 agencies with approximately 50 international staff and 500 national staff.

Last year’s budget amounted to around $75 million with two-thirds dedicated to the country’s roughly 3.5 million refugees or people in a refugee like situations.

Iran has been hosting one of the largest – and most protracted – refugee situations in the world for over four decades with inclusive policies for example in the fields of access to health and education, and UN has supported these efforts over the years.

The remainder of this budget is allocated for development projects including climate adaptation and mitigation work. Mr. Priesner said there was need for significant additional funding to support the most vulnerable groups in Iran including children, the elderly, female-headed households and persons with disabilities.

The UN official confirmed reports that increasing numbers of Afghan refugees have been heading back to their country across the Iranian border either voluntarily or through deportation.

According to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, 36,100 Afghans returned on 26 June alone. The number of daily returns has continued to increase since 13 June, it said.

“Every day, and sometimes every few hours, buses arrive and stop at the Afghanistan-Iran border, carrying exhausted and desperate Afghan refugee families with all their belongings,” said Arafat Jamal, UNHCR Representative in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan returnees’ plight

“Many are returning to a country they barely know, forced out of Iran after decades of living there. The recent Israel-Iran war accelerated their return, pushing numbers to a record high, while deep funding cuts have made humanitarian aid operations increasingly challenging.”

Having just returned from the Islam Qala border area, UNHCR Representative Arafat Jamal told UN News that the flow of people into Afghanistan has surged since the conflict, rising from around 5,000 daily crossings to a recent peak of nearly 30,000.

The UNHCR official warned that Afghan returnees are arriving in an impoverished country that is unprepared to support them. Women and girls who had access to education and jobs in Iran now return to a country where “extreme gender injustice” makes such opportunities impossible, he said.