Norway pledges $6.7m in aid to vulnerable Afghans

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Norwegian government has pledged $6.7 million in aid to the Afghans in need and refugees returning from Pakistan after being forcibly deported.

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement said: “Norway increases its support for Afghanistan with USD 3.8 million (NOK 40 million) to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and USD 2.9 million (NOK 30 million) to the UN World Food Program (WFP), due to the large influx of Afghans repatriated from Pakistan.”

Norway remains committed to supporting the humanitarian response in Afghanistan’, said Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide.

This brings the Norwegian support for the humanitarian response in Afghanistan for 2023 to approximately USD 30.6 million (NOK 320 million).

Since October 3, Pakistan’s caretaker government announced it would carry out mass deportations ---known under domestic law Illegal Foreigners Repatriation --  including an estimated 1.3 million undocumented Afghans.

‘The Afghans arriving at the border are extremely vulnerable. Many are families with children. According to the UN, most returnees need critical aid, including shelter, water, food, sanitation, healthcare, and protection’, said Eide.

sa/ma