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UNHCR and Uzbekistan provide winter assistance for Afghanistan
The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, with the support of the Government of Uzbekistan, has sent 12 trucks with over 48,000 blankets through the International Multifunctional Transport and Logistics Hub in Termez, Uzbekistan, to Afghanistan to provide life-saving assistance to forcibly displaced persons and other vulnerable people in Afghanistan during the harsh winter.
The consignments were dispatched from UNHCR’s Regional Humanitarian Logistics Hub established with the support of the Government of Uzbekistan in October 2021.
Located in the Termez Cargo Centre – 2km from the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan border – the hub enables UNHCR to rapidly replenish national stockpiles, in the region and be more agile in its humanitarian response.
“UNHCR jointly with the Government of Uzbekistan are making all efforts to continue most critical life-saving humanitarian aid to the Afghan population. This is vital, especially during this cold winter. Thanks to support by the Uzbek Government and local partners, UNHCR can quickly assist to meet urgent needs of women, children, and men in Afghanistan,” said Frank Remus, UNHCR Senior Liaison Officer.
The Termez hub serves as the main consolidation and transfer point to deliver assistance to UNHCR’s operations in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Central Asia and beyond. In 2021-2022, the hub sent 217 trucks of essential relief items needed by households forcibly displaced as well as when caught up in natural disasters like floods and earthquakes. Critical relief items dispatched from UNHCR’s Termez Regional Humanitarian Logistics Hub include sleeping mats, tarpaulins, heavy duty buckets, blankets, stainless steel kitchen sets, jerry cans, and portable solar LED lamps.
Natural disasters like earthquakes in northwestern Afghanistan (January 2022), southeastern Afghanistan (June 2022) and eastern Afghanistan (September 2022) as well as record summertime flooding in Afghanistan and in neighbouring Pakistan saw significant distribution efforts of emergency relief supplies.
In 2022 UNHCR aided 5.9 million persons throughout all 34 provinces of Afghanistan with core relief items and cash assistance as well as protection and reintegration activities.
Mohammad Younus Akhundzada, the Islamic Emirate’s Minister of Energy and Water, departed for Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, on Saturday to attend the 17th World Energy Forum.
Ministerial-level representatives from around 100 countries are expected to participate in the forum to discuss energy cooperation, opportunities, and the exchange of experiences.
The Ministry of Water and Energy said Afghanistan’s participation in the forum provides an opportunity to strengthen relations with countries around the world, exchange expertise, and attract international cooperation in the energy sector.
The US Department of State has placed Afghanistan in Tier 3 in its 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report, citing concerns over forced labor, child exploitation and inadequate protection for trafficking victims.
The report says Afghanistan has failed to fully meet the minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking and has not made significant efforts to do so.
It also highlights the vulnerability of families, particularly children, to trafficking and exploitation amid poverty, economic hardship and the return of migrants from neighboring countries.
Afghanistan continues to face economic challenges and growing humanitarian needs, while large numbers of Afghan migrants have returned from neighboring countries. Experts say raising public awareness, creating job opportunities and providing support to vulnerable families are essential to preventing human trafficking and child exploitation.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate has previously issued a decree declaring human trafficking contrary to Islamic Sharia and called for action against the practice. Officials have also said the rights of Afghans are protected in accordance with Islamic Sharia and Afghan traditions.
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Iranian lawmaker praises Afghanistan’s support, accuses Pakistan of ‘hypocrisy’
Zanganeh claimed that a post published under the name of Pakistan’s parliamentary speaker during negotiations between Tehran and Washington had been written by Americans.
Mohsen Zanganeh, head of the Iranian Parliament’s Economic Commission, has praised Afghanistan’s support for Iran during the conflict between Iran and the United States, while criticizing Pakistan’s conduct during the crisis.
Zanganeh claimed that a post published under the name of Pakistan’s parliamentary speaker during negotiations between Tehran and Washington had been written by Americans. According to the Iranian lawmaker, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was responsible for drafting the post.
He described Pakistan’s alleged conduct as “hypocrisy” and expressed appreciation for the friendship and support shown by Afghans towards Iran.
Zanganeh’s remarks highlight the differing political perspectives emerging in the region as neighbouring countries respond to developments involving Iran and the United States.
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