TEHRAN – The World Food Program (WFP) has released a report, expounding on activities in Iran over the month of March.

In March, WFP food assistance reached 33,424 beneficiaries, including Afghan and Iraqi refugees, through a hybrid combination of in-kind food and cash-based transfers (CBT).

Refugees are assisted with a staple food basket, which includes fortified wheat flour (a ration of 9 kg per person, reduced from 12 Kg since the month of November due to funding shortfalls).

Under CBT modality, WFP continued to provide cash assistance to support the essential living costs of vulnerable refugees. The transfer is IRR 8 million (USD 5.7) for households headed by men and IRR 9 million (USD 6.5) for households headed by women.

By March, WFP Iran helped ease the financial burden associated with the gluten-free dietary needs of 57 refugee celiac patients from WFP’s beneficiaries by providing them with an extra cash amount of IRR 9.7 million (USD 7) per person as a replacement for their usual food entitlement.

Moreover, WFP supported 408 refugees with disabilities across eleven settlements, each receiving an additional monthly cash support of IRR 3 million (USD 2.1), on top of their regular aid. Initially launched in two provinces, the initiative was gradually expanded to cover 11 settlements in Saveh, Semnan, Bani Najar, Sarvestan, Bezileh, Abazar, Rafsanjan, Bardsir, Jahrom, Meybod, and Torbat-e-jam.

As schools shifted to remote learning amid rising hostilities, WFP transitioned to take home rations, distributing biscuits and date bars to 8,303 refugee students and their teachers in March. Milk could not be procured due to funding shortfalls and its high cost. A total of 4.6 mt of date bars and 3.8 mt of fortified biscuits were distributed.

WFP provided 2,618 refugee girls with a monthly cash incentive of IRR 2 million (USD 1.4) transferred to their bank accounts. This is a part of WFP Iran’s efforts to promote education for refugee girls by providing them with cash for each month of regular school attendance.

To enhance the economic resilience and self-sufficiency of 364 refugees (50 percent women) in March, WFP continued its support for 26 income-generating initiatives across 18 settlements. Activities included welding, tailoring, baking, and farming, among others.

Since the onset of escalation on 2 March, large-scale population movements have been observed across Iran, with around 3.2 million people, equivalent to approximately 600,000 to 1 million households, estimated to be temporarily displaced across the country, including residents from affected areas of Tehran. 

Following the crisis, around 7,000 additional refugees with Temporary Amayesh 3 cards have reportedly been newly identified and referred to WFP by the Iranian Government for assistance. 

They have been integrated into existing Mohajerin and Saveh settlements and started to receive in-kind. With the inclusion of these people in the coming months, WFP monthly funding requirements for both in-kind and cash assistance are expected to increase.

The Islamic Republic of Iran, an upper-middle income country with a population of over 91 million, is the largest refugee-hosting country in the world, sheltering an estimated 2.5 million forcibly displaced people according to UNHCR, and 6.1 million according to the Government of Iran, including unregistered individuals, mainly from Afghanistan and Iraq, living in urban areas. 

With no viable return options, sustained assistance remains critical, particularly for over 33,000 highly vulnerable refugees living in 20 settlements nationwide. 

WFP has been operating in Iran since 1962, initially for its first emergency earthquake response until 1978, and subsequently reinitiating operations to address the refugee crisis from 1987 onwards.

MT/ MG