Pakistan and Afghanistan have jointly established a special team to address the problem of refugees that fled across the border to avoid the Afghan conflicts. This team works on voluntary repatriation, and has so far reached several agreements. In the meantime, the international communities, including China, are also doing their best to contribute to providing for the Afghan refugees. Zhu Xuesong tells us more.

Following the agreements reached by the special joint team, Pakistan has set up 2 voluntary repatriation centers for Afghan refugees. There UNHCR staff assist those that voluntarily register for repatriation through the process, including getting verified. Every repatriated refugee will get 200 US dollars from the UNHCR after returning to Afghanistan.

SHANDANA SAAD ASSOCIATED REPORTING OFFICER OF UNHCR PAKISTAN "Gradually we will see an increase in the number of repatriations. There are 2 reasons for this. One is the weather. It is still fairly cold in Afghanistan. Secondly, March is the month for school examinations here in Pakistan. Towards April and the end of April, we will see a gradual increase in the number of families repatriated."

In the meantime, the Afghan government is initiating its plans to help the repatriated refugees settle. The Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation told CGTN that a plan is being fermented to provide the returnees not only with shelter but also welfare, including health and education services.

HAFIZ AHMAD MIAKHEL MEDIA ADVISOR FOR AFGHAN MINISTER OF REFUGEES AND REPATRIATION "The government is trying to provide shelters in 61 townships in 29 provinces in Afghanistan for refugees. But these townships and camps need development project like health services, education services, roads, power and electricity. So there we need the international community's help to implement these projects."

The efforts from the two neighboring nations have been acknowledged by the international communities. In recent years, the Chinese government has also launched a series of assistance programs for Afghan refugees. Apart from food and cash donations, China has allocated aid worth millions of US dollars via UNHCR and the World Food Program.

ZHU XUESONG PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN "Experts call for assistance from the international community to solve the refugee problem, which is caused by deteriorating welfare conditions in Afghanistan. However, the new US policy on Afghanistan announced by President Donald Trump focuses on investing in anti-terrorism efforts, while neglecting the welfare of the Afghan people. The issue of Afghan refugees will linger on in the near future, and become a big challenge for all parties involved. Zhu Xuesong, CGTN, Peshawar, Pakistan."