The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Barham Salih, and the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Alexander De Croo, arrived in Kabul on Sunday for a visit focused on Afghanistan’s humanitarian and development challenges.

According to Afghanistan’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, the two officials were received at Kabul International Airport by the ministry’s deputy minister, Abdul Rahman Rashid.

Welcoming the delegation, Rashid said a field visit provides a more accurate understanding of conditions in Afghanistan than written reports. He said millions of Afghans have lived abroad for years while maintaining ties to their homeland and expressed hope that greater attention to the needs of refugees would help protect their dignity and improve their living conditions.

Barham Salih said the purpose of the visit was to assess the challenges facing the Afghan people firsthand and explore ways to address them.

He added that around six million Afghans have returned to the country since 2023, describing the figure as a global record, and reaffirmed the UN’s commitment to supporting Afghans and ensuring humanitarian assistance reaches those in need.

UNDP’s De Croo said the United Nations maintains an active presence in Afghanistan and will continue supporting the country through development, healthcare and humanitarian assistance. He also pledged efforts to help create more employment opportunities for Afghans.

The ministry said the visit reflects the international community’s commitment to supporting the Afghan people as they face ongoing economic and humanitarian challenges.

Germany’s Interior Ministry says the continued operation of Afghanistan’s diplomatic missions in the country is essential to carrying out deportations of rejected Afghan asylum seekers, as Berlin moves to increase returns to Afghanistan.

In response to an inquiry by German media DW, the ministry said Afghan authorities are obliged under the international law to accept its nationals deported by Germany.

“By accepting returns from Germany, Afghanistan’s de facto government is fulfilling its obligation under customary international law to readmit its own nationals,” the ministry said. “At the same time, the functioning of Afghanistan’s diplomatic missions in Germany is a prerequisite for issuing replacement travel documents required for deportations.”

The German government has pledged to step up deportations to Afghanistan, with Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt proposing three charter deportation flights per month, alongside individual deportations on scheduled commercial flights.

Although Germany does not recognize the Islamic Emirate as Afghanistan’s government, both the Afghan Embassy in Berlin and the Consulate General in Bonn are now headed by representatives of the Islamic Emirate. According to media reports, the German government has confirmed that four additional Afghan diplomats are also expected to arrive in Germany.

Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs, Abdul Salam Hanafi, met with Qatar’s ambassador to Afghanistan, Mardef bin Ali Al-Qashouti, in Kabul, the embassy announced in a statement on Sunday.

According to the statement, the two sides reviewed the latest developments in Afghanistan and discussed ways to support the Afghan people.

The embassy did not provide further details on the issues discussed or announce any specific agreements reached during the meeting.