On Monday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced the provision of additional humanitarian aid to Afghans affected by the humanitarian crisis, worth about $64 million, to be delivered through independent humanitarian organizations, according to a statement by the US State Department.
With that number, total US humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan and Afghan refugees in the region has reached nearly $4 billion, since 2002, and Washington has provided nearly $330 million in the current fiscal year alone.
This assistance will be provided through independent humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Health Organization, and will provide direct support to more than 18.4 million Afghans who are the most vulnerable in the region, including Afghan refugees.
The aid will be earmarked to “provide life-saving protection, shelter, livelihood support, basic health care, emergency food assistance, water, sanitation and hygiene services to respond to needs arising from the recent conflict and exacerbated by severe drought and other natural disasters, and the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Blinken said Washington “will work with the international community to help ensure that the Taliban live up to their commitments and promote unimpeded humanitarian access, freedom of movement for aid workers of all races, the safety and security of humanitarian workers, and safe passage for all those who wish to leave Afghanistan.”
“We will continue to pressure the Taliban to respect the rights and freedoms of women and girls, and we are committed to preserving the gains that Afghans, especially women, have made in the past 20 years,” he said.
The statement emphasized that the United States has “a range of diplomatic, economic, and assistance tools to support the peaceful and stable future that the Afghan people want and deserve.”
Was Blenkn confirmed during the hearing of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives on Afghanistan, Monday, the administration of President, Joe Biden, is continuing to help from the rest of the Americans and Afghans who have cooperated with the United States and foreign nationals in Afghanistan?
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, stressed on Monday that it is “very important” for the international organization to communicate with the Taliban in order to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan.
“If we want to see the development of human rights for the Afghan people, the best solution remains to move forward with humanitarian assistance, to establish a dialogue with the Taliban, and to use this humanitarian assistance to advance the implementation of these rights,” Guterres said.
The situation has become critical for millions of Afghans, who are already affected by the drought and the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the United Nations, without support, nearly all of Afghanistan’s population (97 percent) could be below the poverty line next year, compared to 72 percent now.
On Monday, a Pakistani civilian plane landed on the first foreign commercial flight since the Taliban took control of the Afghan capital in the middle of last month, giving hope to Afghans trying to leave the country.
Kabul Airport was severely damaged during an operation to evacuate more than 120,000 people, which ended with the withdrawal of US forces on August 30.
