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WHO Afghanistan appeals for $10 million to provide health services to 700,000 returnees
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday appealed for $10 million to provide essential health services and ensure health care access for a targeted 700,000 Afghan returnees as they re-enter the country.
About 1.3 million Afghans are expected to return to Afghanistan, voluntarily or by force, as a result of Pakistan’s policy to deport illegal migrants. This sudden and increased flux of returnees, along with other related factors, poses significant public health concerns. In particular, there is a risk of disease outbreaks and transmission of wild poliovirus at various points of entry, WHO warned in a statement.
The statement said that elevated risk of communicable diseases and epidemics is made worse by displacement, temporary relocation in camps, substandard living conditions, existing health issues, malnutrition, physical and mental stress (especially among elderly people and pregnant women), insecurity, exposure to extreme weather, and an overall lack of access to health services. These factors can put a strain on already fragile health and socioeconomic systems, adversely affecting both returnees and host communities, it added.
“Without timely assistance, there is the potential for an increase in morbidity and mortality rates owing to limited access to health services, especially for infectious diseases and other chronic conditions, essential maternal and child health services and emergency obstetrics care. Notably, there are gaps in the capacity of health providers to manage worsening emergency situations,” WHO said.
“As we welcome back Afghans into the country, it is our collective obligation to public health to ensure that we have systems and resources in place to prevent, prepare for and respond to public health risks,” said Dr Luo Dapeng, WHO Representative in Afghanistan. “WHO is well placed to ensure that we can take care of everyone’s health needs, especially those of women, children, elderly people and other vulnerable populations.”
WHO said that to address public health concerns at points of entry, it has positioned a team of health workers at each of the major border crossing areas in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar, Kandahar and Herat provinces. WHO-supported hospitals at Spin Boldak, Afghanistan (30 beds), and at Torkham, Pakistan (20 beds), will be operational within 2 weeks, it added.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to Afghanistan, Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani, has urged the Afghan authorities to take concrete action against militant threats that Islamabad says originate from Afghan soil.
Speaking at an event at the Pakistan Embassy in Kabul marking the first anniversary of Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos against India, Nizamani reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to maintaining “brotherly ties” with Afghanistan.
The ambassador also highlighted Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts in reducing tensions between Iran and the United States, saying Islamabad’s initiatives reflected its commitment to regional and global peace.
During the ceremony, Nizamani reaffirmed Pakistan’s determination to defend itself against any aggression.
“Pakistan’s desire for peace must never be mistaken for weakness,” the ambassador said, calling for heightened vigilance against regional threats.
Pakistani officials have consistently claimed that militants use Afghan soil to attack Pakistan. The Islamic Emirate, however, has denied this claim and said that Afghanistan is not responsible for Pakistan’s security failures.
The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum of Afghanistan has signed a five-year contract for the extraction of gold at a mine in Qala-e-Zal district of Kunduz province, with an investment valued at more than $20 million.
According to the ministry, the agreement was signed on Sunday by Hedayatullah Badri, Afghanistan’s Minister of Mines and Petroleum, in the presence of the ambassadors of Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan.
The project covers an area of approximately 5.97 square kilometers and is expected to attract an investment of $20.24 million.
Under the terms of the agreement, the company responsible for the project has pledged to pay a 30 percent royalty to the Afghan government and allocate $200,000 toward social development and public service initiatives in the area.
Officials said the project is also expected to generate employment opportunities for around 100 people through both direct and indirect jobs.
The ministry described the agreement as part of ongoing efforts to attract domestic and foreign investment into Afghanistan’s mining sector, which authorities view as a key driver of economic growth and regional cooperation.
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Afghan officials join ICESCO meeting, discuss preservation of Islamic manuscripts
Participants underscored the importance of safeguarding these documents, noting that the focus on Mali reflects the manuscripts’ unique cultural and historical value.
Officials from the Ministry of Information and Culture participated in an online scientific meeting organised by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), focused on the preservation of Islamic manuscripts.
Obaidullah Hanif, Director of the National Archive, and Mohammad Shafiq Ahmadzai, Head of Foreign Relations and Cultural Attachés at the ministry, joined the session held by ICESCO’s Centre for Calligraphy and Manuscripts under the theme “Islamic Manuscripts in the World.”
The meeting examined the condition of Islamic manuscripts in Mali and discussed strategies for their preservation and protection as part of global cultural heritage.
ICESCO representatives highlighted that Mali’s extensive collection of hundreds of thousands of historical manuscripts represents one of the most significant repositories of Islamic civilisation and intellectual history in West Africa.
Participants underscored the importance of safeguarding these documents, noting that the focus on Mali reflects the manuscripts’ unique cultural and historical value.
ICESCO is an intergovernmental organization specializing in the fields of education, science and culture.
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