E/CN.4/2005/85/Add.2 page 8 including at the provincial level, with the creation in every ministry of a unit in charge of women’s affairs. Finally, she informed the Special Rapporteur that one of the main tasks of the Centre she headed was to support and protect the work of Iranian NGOs working in the field of women’s rights as well as addressing the issue of Iranian women living abroad. The question of women migrants in Iran was not an issue that was directly dealt with by the Centre. 15. Most of the representatives of the Iranian authorities with whom the Special Rapporteur met informed her that given the change of regime in Afghanistan, the presence of Afghans on their territory could no longer be justified. They stressed that the Afghan refugees posed a significant social and economic burden. Economically, the services provided to Afghans amounted to a considerable part of the Government’s budget and it was time for them to go back to Afghanistan. This attitude is partly motivated by the significant levels of unemployment in Iran, as well as concern over increasing drug smuggling. At the same time, however, Afghans continue to provide much-needed labour in agriculture and the construction industry. Afghan refugees themselves readily state that they feel they are no longer welcome in Iran. III. IRAN AS A COUNTRY OF IMMIGRATION 16. When voluntary repatriation from Iran started in March 2002, there were approximately 2.3 million Afghans officially registered in Iran. Later, in 2003, the Iranian authorities conducted a re-registration of the Afghan population, which concluded that some 1,450,000 Afghans were living in Iran. In addition, it was estimated that 202,000 Iraqis (up to 70,000 of whom were thought to have repatriated spontaneously) lived in Iran, as well as some 300,000 unregistered Afghans. The situation of Afghans 17. Differences in levels of economic development between Iran and Afghanistan have long contributed to significant levels of labour migration from Afghanistan to Iran. This has been made easier by the fact that large numbers of Afghans share a language (Dari) and religion (Shi’ah Islam) with the Iranians. With the Afghan revolution and the war in Afghanistan after 1978-1979, networks that had already been formed in Iran made it easier for the new and now very mixed flow of Afghan refugees and labour migrants to establish themselves in Iran. 18. The Government of Iran took formal responsibility for the refugee population and worked closely with UNHCR and other international organizations to address the situation. Iran received a large number of refugees, and was generally considered to be a supportive host country. The vast majority of Afghan refugees were not required to settle in camps but were largely integrated into Iranian society. Most lived in the larger urban areas of the country where they could find work, such as the capital, Tehran, although seven refugee camps are still in existence. They also had access to health care, basic education and subsidized food on the same terms as Iranian citizens. However, there were considerable restrictions on their physical movement, and government permits were required for travel within the country.