EU pledges €146m in aid to vulnerable Afghans

KABUL (Pajhwok): The European Union (EU) has announced a new funding package worth €146 million to strengthen basic services and livelihoods for Afghans, with particular attention to women, children and vulnerable populations.

European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen announced the new funding package, which will also benefit internally-displaced people, refugees, minorities and returnees.

EU said in a statement the package addressed the growing needs of the Afghan population, especially as the women and girls’ rights had been undermined at alarming rates.

The commissioner made the announcement at the side event “Three Years On: Supporting Afghan Women’s Rights”, organised on the margins of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York.

Urpilainen said: “The EU stands firm in its support for the Afghan people … there is a need for us, the international community, to be there. Despite the volatile context, we can continue to strengthen resilience of communities and individuals through basic social services, community-based safety nets and livelihoods support in line with the EU’s established principled approach.

“Our efforts ensure that women play a meaningful role in both the design and delivery of assistance. This new €146 million package reinforced our ongoing commitment to supporting the most vulnerable in Afghanistan.”

The basic needs and livelihoods assistance would continue to be provided through the established principled approach, safeguarding the bloc’s specific attention to women and girls, in a ‘by women for women’ spirit.

Since 2021, the EU has provided a total of €903 million for basic needs, livelihoods, forced displacement and migration, complementing €743 million in humanitarian assistance in a nexus approach.

sa/mud