UNHCR Sub-Office Mashhad (SOM) was established in September 1992, primarily to facilitate the voluntary repatriation of registered refugees returning to Afghanistan.
The office’s area of responsibility (AOR) covers Khorasan Razavi, North Khorasan and South Khorasan (altogether sharing a 750 km border with Afghanistan), and Golestan provinces. Under the SOM AOR, there are some 138,000 refugees, representing 17 per cent of Iran’s total refugee population.
In coordination with key partners, SOM implements activities in the areas of health, education and livelihoods and also facilitates voluntary returns for Afghan and Iraqi refugees to their country of origin. Furthermore, SOM provides assistance to refugees through its in-person reception center and via a hotline system.
Khorasan Razavi hosts the largest Afghan refugee population in SOM’s AoR, mostly concentrated in Mashhad, and primarily consisting of Tajik and Hazara ethnic groups.
The majority of the Iraqi refugees in SOM’s AOR reside in Neyshabour, followed by Mashhad in Khorasan Razavi province.
Torbat-e-Jam settlement is the only settlement within SOM’s AOR and hosts around 3,400 refugees. The settlement is located in Khorasan Razavi, 88 kilometers from the Afghanistan border, and was established in 1994.
Contact Details:
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Address: UNHCR, Sub-Office in Mashhad No. 45, Sajjad Blvd. Mashhad Islamic Republic of Iran Postal code: 9187713994 |
Working Hours: Sunday to Thursday/ 8:00-16:15 Email: [email protected] Reception Tel: (+98-51) 3768 5641 Office Tel: (+98-51) 3762 1387 Fax: (+98-51) 3768 3017 |