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UNHCR calls for greater support for Afghans

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United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in a released statement on Friday has called for greater support from the international community for Afghanistan’s people, including those displaced within its borders and refugees seeking safety outside the country.

The appeal comes at the end of a four-day visit by UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, Raouf Mazou, who was on his first trip to the country.

“Afghanistan is at a critical and historical juncture,” said Mazou. ‘’With ongoing efforts to find peace, relief and development activities also need to be scaled up simultaneously.”

He raised concerns about the continued violence which has been causing new displacement. Over 100,000 Afghans have been internally displaced due to conflict so far in 2021.

During his visit to Kabul province’s Qarabagh district, he inaugurated the Akakhail Boys’ and Girls’ High School. Both are part of UNHCR initiatives, working with the Afghan government, to help refugee returnees better reintegrate.

“Support in health, education and livelihoods that benefits host communities, internally displaced people and refugee returnees alike are all key components of the peace process”.

During his visit, he met with the First Vice-President Amurallah Saleh, Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, Noor-e-Rahman Akhlaqi and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mirwais Nab, and assured them of UNHCR’s continued support.

Afghanistan today has a population of nearly 35 million people, the majority of them young, facing insecurity and economic challenges. Millions also remain displaced within the country and outside as refugees, generously hosted by countries such as Iran and Pakistan despite the devasting impact of COVID-19 pandemic, the statement said.

UNHCR has assisted over 100,000 internally displaced Afghans in the last 6 months through the distribution of hygiene kits, emergency shelter kits, family tents, sanitary kits and other non-food items. Cash assistance has also been provided to vulnerable individuals, such as the elderly, children and women at risk, people with disabilities, and those with serious medical conditions.

While the international community has made immense contributions during the last 20 years, aid and funding for Afghanistan have been on the decline, with – humanitarian assistance facing the largest funding shortfalls. UNHCR’s financial appeal of US$ 123.5 million for 2021 is only 24 per cent funded.

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Needy families in Nangarhar receive Ramadan aid from Bayat Foundation

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On the occasion of Ramadan, Bayat Foundation delivered food aid to dozens of needy families in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangarhar this week.

The organization’s officials said that the aid packages include flour, rice, and cooking oil, which was distributed to the needy after a transparent assessment.

“Bayat Foundation helps thousands of families across Afghanistan every year. Fortunately, today this Ramadan aid was distributed to hundreds of families in Jalalabad. This aid includes flour, rice, and cooking oil,” Attaullah Sahil, a representative of Bayat Foundation in Nangarhar, said.

Appreciating Bayat Foundation’s assistance, officials of the Nangarhar Department of Economy called on other charities to help the needy during the holy month of Ramadan.

“These families are very deserving families who were selected after conducting a survey in the presence of representatives of the Department of Economy and Bayat Foundation. All families are deserving, and they include widows, the disabled and the poor,” Mohammad Asif Rahmani, a representative of the Nangarhar Department of Economy, said.

Recipients welcomed the Ramadan aid from Bayat Foundation, saying that those in need require more help.

Haider, an aid recipient, said: “We are very poor people. There are no job opportunities. Thank you very much to Bayat Foundation for helping us.”

Mohammad Zaman, another aid recipient, said: “During this Ramadan, I was facing difficulties. I could not find sustenance. Bayat Foundation helped us. May God help it.”

Bayat Foundation has helped the needy not only during the holy month of Ramadan, but also during natural disasters, and has continued to cooperate with government institutions in various sectors, especially health and education.

 

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IEA controls power in Afghanistan, security prevails: Araqchi

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Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, has said that the Islamic Emirate controls power in Afghanistan and security prevails across the country.

Speaking in an interview with Khabar Online, Araqchi said that before the Islamic Emirate took over, different parts of Afghanistan would be governed by different groups.

“The reality is that now there is a power in Afghanistan that has consolidated its rule over the past three and a half years, and unlike in the past, when every corner of Afghanistan was in the hands of different people, this is not the case now. Security and rule prevail. We must address the issues and resolve them for our national interests,” Araqchi said.

The Islamic Emirate welcomed the remarks saying that it indicates an understanding of the realities in Afghanistan.

“This actually means a correct understanding of the realities in Afghanistan. It is a fact that there is a single political governance in Afghanistan that has complete control over Afghanistan,” Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, said.

Araqchi also added in his interview that there are issues in Afghanistan that are related to Iran’s national interests, so he traveled to Kabul to discuss them with the officials of the Islamic Emirate.

He mentioned water rights, presence of Afghan refugees in Iran and Daesh as issues that need to be discussed between the officials of the two countries.

The Iranian diplomat said that Tehran, like other countries, has not recognized the Islamic Emirate, but despite sanctions, trade is taking place between the two countries in high volumes.

Separately, Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs, Abdulsalam Hanafi, said in a meeting with the acting ambassador of Afghanistan to Iran recently that Afghanistan and Iran have long-standing religious, historical, cultural and economic relations, and the embassy officials should make every effort to strengthen them.

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Uzbekistan sends essential food aid to Afghanistan

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Marking the new solar year, 1404, and the holy month of Ramadan, Uzbekistan this week delivered almost 200 tons of food aid to Afghanistan via Balkh province.

This is in line with Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s directive that humanitarian aid be sent to Afghanistan, Kun.uz reported.

The essential food items were handed over in Hairatan border town in a ceremony attended by Uzbekistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Ismatulla Irgashev; Surkhandarya governor Ulugbek Kosimov; representatives from relevant ministries; Balkh provincial governor Muhammad Yusuf Vafo; and other officials from both countries.

The aid package consists of flour, wheat, pasta, vegetable oil, sugar, instant meals, red beans, and mung beans.

Additionally, a bilateral meeting was held in Mazar-e-Sharif, where discussions focused on advancing future cooperation. During the talks, special attention was given to the construction of the Imam Bukhari Mausoleum in Afghanistan, a project supported by Uzbekistan.

Afghan officials expressed gratitude to the president and people of Uzbekistan for their assistance, Akipress reported.

At the end of December, Uzbekistan sent humanitarian aid containing food and medicine to Afghanistan, as well as a “health train”.

Uzbek doctors conducted free medical examinations of the population in Balkh province between December 25 and December 30.

 

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