ARCS Leadership Meets with IFRC Regional Director for Asia-Pacific and Accompanying Delegation

Saturday, June 28, 2025

Acting General President of ARCS, Sheikh Ul Hadith Shahabuddin Delawar, along with Vice President Hafiz Azizur Rahman, held a high-level meeting this morning with Mr. Alexander Matheou, the IFRC Regional Director for Asia-Pacific, and Mr. Sami Fakhouri, Head of IFRC in Afghanistan to discuss mobilizing and providing immediate and long-term support for returnees.

During the meeting, Mr. Delawar provided an overview of the mass influx of returnees and the resulting humanitarian crisis, noting a relative improvement in conditions at Torkham and a slowdown in the rate of new arrivals there. He stated that ARCS staff and officials are actively delivering services to the returnees, and emphasized that replicating similar humanitarian efforts in Herat and Nimroz provinces could help reduce the burden and challenges of returnees.

Further, he reiterated ARCS’s commitment to provide all available resources to returnees without delay but stressed that stronger engagement and support from humanitarian partners is urgently needed and vital.

In response, Mr. Matheou acknowledged the critical importance of providing emergency assistance in Herat and Nimroz and assured continued coordination with partners to provide returnees with what is needed, reduce their burden and help them resume normal life.

Both sides pledged to enhance collaboration in providing long-term assistance and in alleviating the challenges faced by returnees.