E/CN.4/2005/85/Add.2 page 14 in 2003 than in 2002. According to UNHCR, there were many reasons why Afghans might be reluctant to repatriate. Socio-economic conditions still appeared to be better for refugees in Iran than in many areas of origin in Afghanistan. Despite rehabilitation and development efforts under way in Afghanistan, refugees were concerned about access to job opportunities, education, health and other basic services. The deterioration of the security situation in certain parts of Afghanistan, or for certain groups of Afghans, was an additional concern for some refugees. 50. Nevertheless, UNHCR continued to focus on phased, voluntary repatriation as the durable solution for the vast majority of the Afghan refugees in Iran. With that in mind, UNHCR had gradually reoriented its limited resources so as to provide increased support for assistance and services to returnees in Afghanistan, while decreasing its refugee assistance programmes in asylum countries. At the same time, UNHCR was initiating discussions with the authorities to search for alternative solutions for those refugees who were unable or unwilling to return on account of their personal situation. 51. The Afghan repatriation programme offered free transportation for returnees and their belongings, medical assistance in the voluntary repatriation centres, and mine-awareness training at the border exit points. However, the food component (packages of food provided to returnees for the journey home) would be phased out in 2004. 52. In line with the policy of focusing spending on Afghanistan and reducing it in asylum countries, in 2004 UNHCR decided to phase out its assistance to the approximately 40,000 Afghans residing in camps as well as its educational activities, in line with repatriation objectives. Medical assistance would also be more restrictive and its support to help camp refugees meet their hospital costs and settle other refugees’ hospital bills would be phased out completely. UNHCR would also reduce the scope of the One Time Assistance (OTA) programme for vulnerable refugees through the introduction of more restrictive criteria. 53. Faced with a situation where the Government of Iran was taking measures to deport Afghans who were not officially registered with the authorities and were therefore considered to be irregular migrants, UNHCR had convinced the Iranian authorities about the need to screen those who wished to raise protection issues. Accordingly, UNHCR and the Government had reached agreement on the establishment of screening facilities in the border areas so that those who had a fear of persecution if they returned could be identified and accorded temporary asylum in a refugee camp. In order to do this, UNHCR was developing screening facilities for deportees in the border areas. B. International Organization for Migration 54. The IOM representative a.i. in Tehran told the Special Rapporteur about the organization’s activities with regard to the issue of migrants. An agreement had been reached for the establishment of an “Academy for Migration and Refugee Studies” to strengthen the capacity of the Government to manage migration and refugee issues and to facilitate the formulation of legislation and policies regarding migration and refugee issues.