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Key UN agency gets only ‘small budget’ for Afghanistan this year
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) expresses concern that the international community has provided only a small budget for the continuation of aid programs in Afghanistan for the current year, and the lack of funds has threatened to suspend the continuation of most programs.
OCHA published a report on Sunday and said that more than $3 billion was requested for the continuation of humanitarian programs in Afghanistan in 2024, but only a small part of it has been provided so far.
This United Nations agency said: “In 2023, humanitarian partners in Afghanistan provided assistance in some way to at least 32.1 million people. But in 2024, only $87 million of the $3.06 billion budget was received for the plan to meet humanitarian needs, which has put the continuation of many programs at risk.”
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that last year due to budget cuts, the organization was forced to stop providing food aid to 18 million Afghans.
OCHA said in the report that from January to December 2023, humanitarian aid donors provided food and alternative livelihoods to 26.3 million Afghans and health services to 16.5 million people.
The United Nations has announced that a total of 32.1 million people received aid in 2023, with 27.6 million directly benefiting. The organization has spent $1.47 billion in 2023 for its programs, including $850 million from the 2022 budget.
Prolonged settlement, widespread presence of explosives, continued restrictions on women’s rights and freedoms, increased gender-based violence, child labor, early marriages, climate change, especially earthquakes and droughts, the return of millions of migrants from Pakistan and internally displaced persons, Ocha said. Afghanistan remains primarily a security crisis, the agency said.
According to the United Nations humanitarian aid plan in 2024, more than half of Afghanistan’s population will need humanitarian aid in some way.
The United Nations has emphasized that among all the needy, 17.3 million of the most vulnerable people, including those with disabilities, are covered by the aid mission.
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Continued aid to Afghanistan vital for regional security: Kazakh president
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has emphasized the continuation of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, stating that the ongoing provision of such aid plays an important role in ensuring regional security.
Speaking at the international conference “Peace and Trust” in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, Tokayev described addressing complex humanitarian challenges and the reconstruction of Afghanistan as a necessity.
“To ensure regional security, we consider it essential to continue providing assistance to Afghanistan, including by strengthening international efforts to address complex humanitarian issues and the reconstruction of this country. Kazakhstan remains committed to supporting the people of Afghanistan through humanitarian aid, educational projects, trade development, and food security initiatives,” he said.
Meanwhile, experts believe that sustainable improvement of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan requires broad cooperation from the international community and support for the country’s economic development.
“Investment can be defined as one of the fundamental drivers of the economic cycle, and whenever Afghan traders do not take their money out of the country and instead invest domestically, it naturally leads to greater growth and dynamism in Afghanistan’s economy,” said Abdul Zahoor Modabber, an economic analyst.
As the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan continues, reports by international relief organizations indicate that millions of citizens of the country are in urgent need of food, health, and livelihood assistance.
The reduction in funding for aid organizations, the impacts of climate change, and the return of migrants have increased concerns about a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the country.
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Islamic Emirate declines to attend Tehran meeting on Afghanistan
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Sirajuddin Haqqani: A government that intimidates its people is not a true government
Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani, Minister of Interior of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said during a visit to Khost province on Friday that any government which rules through fear cannot be considered a true government.
“A government is one that is loved by its people, one that serves them with respect and compassion, and from whose behavior people learn ethics and sincerity,” he said.
Haqqani also stressed that Afghans who opposed the Islamic Emirate in the past should be tolerated and treated in a way that helps eliminate hostility and animosity, paving the way for national cohesion.
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