Yarahmadi: Financial Support from Iran Not Commensurate with Cost of Hosting Refugees

Head of the Center for Foreign Nationals and Migrants, emphasizing Iran's decades-long hosting of millions of refugees, called for increased international financial assistance and a fairer sharing of responsibilities.

According to Ambassador Arjan Nader Yarahamdi, head of the Center for Foreign Nationals and Immigrants, in his speech at the 77th annual meeting of the Executive Committee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (Oxcom), referring to the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran hosting millions of refugees and immigrants for decades, he emphasized the need for joint responsibilities from the international community and proportional support to the host countries.

Pointing to the necessity of a fair distribution of the responsibility of hosting refugees, he called for increasing the financial support of the international community, appropriate allocation of resources, and removing obstacles to the host countries' access to development aid.

Referring to the military attacks of the Zionist regime and the United States against the Islamic Republic of Iran, Yar Ahmadi said: despite the attacks and pressures, the country's universities, hospitals and basic infrastructures have continued to operate relying on national power and capacities, and the Islamic Republic of Iran continues to host and support millions of refugees and foreign immigrants.

Referring to the passage of more than four decades since the ratification of the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees, the head of the Center for the Affairs of Foreign Nationals and Immigrants raised the question why the majority of the responsibility for hosting refugees is still on the shoulders of a limited number of countries and financial support and sustainable international solutions are not proportionate to the volume of these responsibilities.

He stated: The experience of the past few decades shows that the realization of the goals of the convention and the creation of a balance between responsibilities and obligations require the effective cooperation of countries and a fair distribution of the burden of responsibilities.

Emphasizing the necessity of real participation of the international community in supporting the host countries, the head of the center added: the fair distribution of the burden of responsibility must be achieved through comprehensive planning, coordination with governments, effective participation of relevant parties and the implementation of agreed obligations.

Referring to the economic challenges and restrictions caused by the sanctions, he further pointed out: The Islamic Republic of Iran has tried to provide educational, health, medical and other public services to refugees and foreign immigrants in the past decades, despite many problems.

Yar Ahmadi listed the access of Afghan nationals to the country's education system, the benefit of online education in the conditions of recent attacks, and the education of Afghan students in Iranian universities and scientific centers as examples of continued service to the immigrant community.

Referring to the statistics presented in this regard, he said: About 59,658 Afghan students are studying in the country's universities and scientific centers, and a significant number of Afghan nationals have also graduated from Iran's higher education centers. Also, about 42,733 Afghan immigrants have benefited from the mentioned educational support, and women make up a significant part of this population.

He emphasized: Despite the economic restrictions, the Islamic Republic of Iran has continued to provide public services to foreign immigrants and has paid attention to the protection of their human rights and dignity.

The head of the Center for the Affairs of Foreign Nationals and Immigrants continued by appreciating the assistance given to the operations of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Iran, and emphasized the inadequacy of international financial support compared to the country's hosting costs. In this regard, Yar Ahmadi stated: In recent years, the financial needs of the operations of the commissariat in Iran were estimated at around 140 million dollars, but the amount of aid realized in 2025 was less than one-tenth of this amount.

Yar Ahmadi considered the significant gap between financial needs and realized aid as a sign of the inadequacy of international support with the responsibilities of the host country and called for an increase in financial support and fair allocation of resources in accordance with real needs.

Emphasizing the need for transparency in the management of allocated resources, the head of the center added: The resources of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees should be distributed in a fairer way and in accordance with the real needs of the host countries in order to reduce the pressure caused by hosting refugees. In another part of his speech, Yar Ahmadi drew attention to the limitations caused by unilateral coercive measures and its effect on the host countries' access to financial resources and development aid.

He also clarified: bearing the heavy burden of hosting refugees along with the deprivation of appropriate support, especially in the conditions of banking and fund transfer restrictions, is not compatible with the goals of sustainable development and the principle of "no one should be left behind".

He raised the question of what specific mechanism the Commissionerate and its financial and development partners have considered to remove existing obstacles, and emphasized the need to ensure effective access of countries affected by unilateral coercive measures to development resources.

According to the head of the Center for Foreign Nationals and Immigrants, host countries should not only bear hosting costs, but should also receive financial and development support commensurate with their responsibilities.

Nader Yar Ahmadi continued by emphasizing the necessity of adapting the activities of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Iran to the strategy document for solutions for Afghan refugees (SSAR), and declared his general support for the approaches aimed at reducing long-term refugees.

He pointed out that the implementation of programs related to the self-reliance of refugees should be accompanied by compliance with the laws and national policies of the host countries, provision of appropriate financial resources and attention to the reduction of economic and social pressures on these countries. He further added: Self-reliance of refugees should not become a tool to transfer the costs of providing services to the host countries, impose double obligations or create grounds for their permanent integration.

The head of the center also emphasized that removing people from the list of aid recipients alone does not mean the realization of a sustainable solution, and the commissioner must mobilize the necessary resources in cooperation with development institutions to provide the conditions for the voluntary, safe and sustainable return of refugees to their countries of origin. In this context, he announced the readiness of the Islamic Republic of Iran to participate in the implementation of programs related to sustainable solutions, within the framework of agreed arrangements and with international financial support.

In the end, the head of the Center for the Affairs of Foreign Nationals and Immigrants, emphasizing the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran hosting refugees and foreign immigrants for several decades, called for the fulfillment of international responsibilities commensurate with the commitments of the host countries. He listed the increase of financial support, transparent and fair allocation of resources, removal of barriers to access to development aid and effective participation of countries in providing hosting costs as the basic requirements of sustainable support for refugees.

The head of the center emphasized: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and member states are expected to realize the principle of fair sharing of the burden and responsibility of protecting refugees in a real and operational way and avoid limiting international obligations to symbolic protections.

At the end of Yar Ahmadi's speech, Barham Saleh, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, thanked the government and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran for their generous and constant support in hosting refugees for a long time, despite all the challenges, and added; Providing conditions of non-discriminatory access to education, including university education, to health and treatment services is highly appreciated.

In response to the question why international financial support is not consistent with what the country spends to host such a large population of refugees, he said; The contribution of all of us should be discussed in a joint and realistic manner.