UN spends $2.5b addressing Afghan refugees’ problems: Ratwatte

KABUL (Pajhwok): United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) deputy director Andrika Ratwatte says UN agencies spent 2.5 billion US dollars this year on addressing the problems of Afghan refugees.

He said this at a meeting with Minister of Refugees and Repatriation on Wednesday, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR) wrote on its X handle.

It said the meeting discussed the delivery of assistance to the returnees and ways to remove existing obstacles related to this process.

Andrika Ratwatte said UN agencies had spent $2.5bn to address the problems of Afghan refugees, reflecting the United Nations’ commitment to supporting Afghans during the current calendar year.

He added that Afghanistan’s population had increased by 10 percent due to the return of refugees in recent times, but the situation had been well managed through the efforts of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) and the United Nations, preventing a crisis.

He stressed the need for stronger cooperation and coordination with IEA institutions to address the problems of refugees and internally displaced persons, noting that joint work with the Ministry of Refugees would continue to identify refugees’ needs for the coming year.

For his part, Mawlawi Abdul Kabir appreciated the UN for its assistance during the meeting.

He added the IEA had prepared an emergency assistance plan for returnees during the current winter, which would be implemented nationwide. Under the plan, 1,000 families in each province would receive food items as well as cash assistance.

He said MoRR, with support of donors, had already begun distributing aid to returnees and expressed hope that thousands of families would receive essential food supplies.

Kabir also shared concerns regarding returnees’ problems related to food and shelter with the UNAMA deputy and said the ministry would consider UNAMA’s proposals.

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