Iran | World Food Programme

Iran hosts one of the world’s largest and most protracted refugee populations, with Afghan and Iraqi refugees arriving in successive waves over the past four decades.

An estimated 3.4 million refugees and refugee-like individuals live across the country, including 35,000 of the most vulnerable who reside in 20 designated settlements across 13 provinces.

While the Government continues to promote voluntary repatriation as the preferred long-term solution, it faces a growing financial burden in supporting this population and has consistently called for increased international assistance.

These challenges have been exacerbated by rising inflation, limited employment opportunities and a soaring cost of living, leaving many refugees unable to meet their basic needs and increasingly at risk of food insecurity.

In response, the World Food Programme (WFP) provides life-saving food assistance, promotes girls’ education, supports income-generating activities, and enhances resilience through a hybrid model of cash transfers and food distributions.

WFP also maintains readiness to support national emergency response efforts.

We work with the Government and United Nations partners to ensure that the most vulnerable refugees continue to receive critical assistance, until conditions are conducive for their safe, voluntary and dignified return home.

What the World Food Programme is doing in Iran

Assistance to refugees: WFP helps meet the basic food and nutrition needs of 35,000 refugees across 20 settlements. Through a hybrid model of food and monthly cash transfers, refugees can access essential food items and make dietary choices based on their needs. Women-headed households receive full food entitlements, while men-headed households receive 80 percent. Additional cash top-ups are provided to people with disabilities. Food is sourced locally and distributed monthly to reduce logistics costs and support local markets.
School-based programmes: To address gender gaps in education, WFP provides monthly cash incentives to refugee girls attending primary and secondary school regularly. This helps reduce dropout rates and encourages long-term education. In addition, WFP distributes daily nutritious snacks (milk and biscuits) to both boys and girls attending school in settlement – supporting their education and attendance.
Resilience: WFP boosts refugee's self-reliance by supporting income-generating activities, especially for women. Over 680 refugees have benefited from workshops in tailoring, welding, greenhouse farming and food production. These initiatives not only provide immediate income but also build skills that improve employability and empower participants.
Emergency response: WFP supports national disaster preparedness and response efforts. In emergencies such as earthquakes or floods, WFP provides emergency food packages to Iranian communities.
Cash-based transfers for partners: WFP provides cash-transfer services to other UN agencies and NGOs, using its established financial platform. Although not currently active, this contingency mechanism remains in place to support future bilateral service requests and emergency responses.