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UN contributes to WFP’s fund for returning Afghans from Pakistan
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a contribution of $3.8 million from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support Afghans forced to leave Pakistan and return to Afghanistan.
The funding will allow WFP to provide cash assistance to nearly 33,000 families or more than 230,000 children, women and men, including persons with disabilities returning to Afghanistan at a time when already one third of the people are going hungry.
“With 500,000 Afghans having returned from Pakistan since last September, the importance of this timely allocation from the Central Emergency Response Fund cannot be overstated,” said Isabelle Moussard Carlsen, Head of Office for OCHA Afghanistan.
“In the face of the harsh Afghan winter, coinciding with the lean season and peak food insecurity, this CERF funding is a lifeline for thousands of returnees ensuring their immediate and long-term food needs are met. We remain committed to a sustained effort in supporting the most vulnerable and call for unwavering global solidarity with Afghanistan,” she said.
These families are arriving at the worst of times, in winter, when hunger bites hardest in Afghanistan and humanitarian funding is at a low point. Last year, funding shortages forced WFP to reduce the ration size and scale back life-saving food assistance, affecting 10 million people.
“With the massive funding shortfalls for humanitarian action in Afghanistan, WFP has been able to respond to new crises only by borrowing from an already underfunded regular programme,” said Mutinta Chimuka, Deputy Country Director of WFP Afghanistan.
“Thanks to the contribution from the Central Emergency Response Fund, WFP will be able to support more than 230,000 Afghans forced to return from Pakistan with cash to cover the families’ food needs for one month. This not only gives them the choice but also stimulates local economies by supporting markets and shops.”
The rapid funding made available through the CERF for WFP in Afghanistan has been crucial to reach some of the most vulnerable communities struck by shocks with life-saving assistance.
Afghanistan’s acting minister of public health Dr Qalandar Ebad, along with other officials, visited a number of flood-hit villages in Baghlan province on Tuesday.
The officials assessed damage in the villages of Sai Hazara and Gharo in the Guzargah district.
According to a statement issued by the ministry, Ebad inspected “vulnerable areas affected by recent floods and, expressing sympathy with the local people, promised that the leadership of the Ministry of Public Health will spare no effort to provide health services to those in need.”
Ebad also expressed gratitude for the efforts of healthcare workers and their commitment to helping people in need.
He directed officials to make every effort “to improve the health status of patients affected by recent floods in the villages of Sai Hazara and Gharo, Baghlan province”.
Based on official figures, more than 300 people have died as a result of floods in Baghlan province and over 1,600 others have been injured.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Monday that continued interventions by the US into the internal affairs of Afghanistan will complicate the country’s situation.
In a meeting in Tehran with the head of the UN in Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, Amir-Abdollahian said Iran closely follows the developments in Afghanistan and supports stability, security, and sustainable development in the neighboring country.
He also said Iran supports the role of the United Nations in helping the people of Afghanistan.
According to Iran’s Mehr News, Amir-Abdollahian raised the issue of Afghan nationals in Iran and urged the UN to address the situation.
He also reportedly criticized the US for its “destructive role in Afghanistan during its presence in the country”, noting that the continuation of targeted interventions by the US in the internal affairs of Afghanistan will complicate the situation further.
Amir-Abdollahian emphasized the need for diverse and multi-layered solutions to Afghanistan’s complex problems, Mehr News reported.
Otunbayeva in turn explained the latest developments and issues in Afghanistan and the upcoming Doha meeting in Qatar.
She also stressed the need to coordinate the diverse positions of regional players to help with the development and stability of the country.
Afghanistan is facing another set back at the United Nations after its General Assembly voting rights were suspended due to unpaid fees.
Nasir Faiq, who has acted as Afghanistan’s representative at the UN says that failure to settle outstanding dues since the Islamic Emirate’s takeover in August 2021 led to the organization’s decision.
As a result, Afghanistan was unable to exercise its right to vote at the recent General Assembly vote concerning the recognition of the State of Palestine.
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