InterviewKorea has much to gain from helping refugees, UNHCR official says

Korea has much to gain from supporting refugees, including making a safer and more stable international environment, according to the United Nations' refugee agency representative in Afghanistan.

During an interview with The Korea Times during his visit to Seoul, Tuesday, Arafat Jamal, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees' (UNHCR) representative in Afghanistan, said supporting countries such as Afghanistan is not simply an act of charity, but an investment in a more stable world.

"Korea is a responsible member of the international community. And helping a country like Afghanistan is for global public good. I think that we can only gain if countries are more open and more willing to build international solidarity and to look beyond themselves," he said.

Jamal expressed deep gratitude to the Korean government and people for their continued support, urging them "to continue to build solidarity with the world."

Afghanistan's strategic location, bordering seven countries including China, Pakistan and Iran, makes its stability a matter of wider international concern, the U.N. official said. Although the country is relatively calm at present, that should not be taken for granted.

"It is at the moment calm, but tomorrow it may not be," he said. "If we don't help it, it could blow up in our face."

His warning comes as Afghanistan struggles to absorb an unprecedented influx of people returning from neighboring countries. More than 6.5 million Afghans have returned since September 2023, equivalent to about 15 percent of the country's population, in what Jamal described as "the largest such movement in the world."

Many of those arriving have never actually lived in Afghanistan. They were born in Iran or Pakistan after their families fled the country decades ago.

"Once they arrive, they face a number of challenges," Jamal said. "It's really the journey of a person who once belonged somewhere or lived somewhere, is no longer wanted there, and is trying to survive in the country where their ancestors came from."

For many, the first hurdle is establishing a legal identity. Without official documents, returnees cannot enroll their children in school, buy land or open bank accounts. Some also arrive with nothing after losing their money and belongings during the journey, leaving them in immediate need of assistance.

UNHCR helps them obtain identity documents and provides housing and job assistance, as well as cash support in some cases.

Jamal also expressed concern over growing anti-refugee sentiment around the world, saying opposition to accepting refugees often stems from misinformation or a lack of empathy.

He urged people to consider their own countries' histories of displacement and the possibility that they, too, could one day need protection.

"A refugee does not belong to any ethnic group or religion or culture," he said. "When people need to seek asylum, they have to do it. They have to be able to find a country that will open its borders for them."

Jamal noted that refugee protection should not mean opening borders indiscriminately.

"We are not in favor of open borders. We are in favor of borders being open to people who need to flee persecution and who need safety, and also that we ourselves should work harder towards solutions."