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Secretary of State Tony Blinken said here that the United States will deliver USD144 million in aid to Afghans who have been suffering from a severe humanitarian catastrophe as a result of the Taliban’s rule.
According to Blinken, the funds will be distributed directly to independent international and non-governmental humanitarian organisations such as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UNICEF, International Organization for Migration (IOM), and World Health Organization (WHO) after extensive vetting and monitoring.
“This money will help some of the region’s more than 18 million impoverished Afghans, mainly Afghan refugees in neighbouring countries,” he said.
According to Blinken, the US will provide USD474 million in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and Afghan refugees in the region in 2021, the most of any country.
“It will enable our partners to provide life-saving security, food security assistance, essential universal health care, winterization assistance, logistics, and emergency food aid in response to the growing humanitarian needs exacerbated by healthcare shortages, COVID-19, drought, malnutrition, and the approaching winter,” Secretary of State John Kerry stated.
“To be clear, this humanitarian relief will benefit Afghans rather than the Taliban, who will continue to face consequences for their actions,” he stated.
Blinken commended Afghanistan’s neighbours for hosting one of the world’s largest and longest-running refugee situations, and asked them to maintain their borders open to Afghans seeking international protection.
“With this additional humanitarian funding, we will continue to offer life-saving assistance and safety to Afghan refugees, as well as support Afghans in need within Afghanistan,” Blinken added.
