For more than four decades, forced displacement from Afghanistan has had a profound impact on the countries’ neighbors and along corridors of human mobility in the broader region stretching from Afghanistan to Pakistan, Iran and Turkey. The Taliban’s recapture of the country in August 2021 has pushed further hundreds of thousands of Afghans to flee to these countries over concerns of retributive violence and ethno-religious/political persecution, combined with a burgeoning economic and humanitarian disaster.

In recognition of the fact that nearly 85% of all Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers are hosted in Pakistan, Iran and Turkey, Refugee Solidarity Network and Refugee Rights Turkey brought together more than forty representatives of civil society organizations working on Afghan refugee issues in these countries at a regional convening held in Istanbul in May of 2022. This event report outlines the outcomes of the convening, highlighting challenges to effective legal protection for Afghan refugees in these contexts while identifying key areas of opportunity and potential future collaboration among civil society and advocates working across this region.