UK announces £170m aid package for Afghanistan

KABUL, British International Development Secretary Rory Stewart hopes.

The aid package will provide urgent food, water and medical help, including polio vaccinations for children, the secretary said in a statement on Monday.

Stewart unveiled the package during a visit of President Ashraf Ghani to the UK, where he also met Prime Minister Theresa May, the foreign secretary and defence secretary.

Stewart, who met Ghani, said: “The humanitarian need in Afghanistan is severe. Fighting and extreme drought have left millions of people hungry and desperately seeking medical help, which is why UK aid is responding with life-saving food, water and basic healthcare, including polio vaccinations.

“This UK aid package is a significant contribution to the international response in Afghanistan. We are working closely with the Afghan government in response to increasing needs. But the UK cannot tackle this crisis alone, and other donors must now step up and follow our lead.”

In addition, the UK Department for International Development’s (DFID) emergency humanitarian support will:

• help over 400,000 people to have appointments with doctors or nurses;
• vaccinate over 140,000 children under the age of five against polio; and
• provide support and training for individuals and families to protect themselves from climate shocks and conflict.

The UK funding will support the UN’s Pooled Fund for Afghanistan for humanitarian emergencies, help Afghans deal with the impact of conflict through providing prosthetics and orthotics for over 50,000 people with disabilities, and will aim to build the capacity of Afghan NGOs to take a greater role in the response.

Besides meeting the needs of internally displaced Afghans, the UK support will target over a quarter of a million Afghans who have returned from neighbouring countries.

The new funding of £170 million will provide humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan over five years. This will be delivered through a mix of partners from the UN, international and Afghan NGOs.

pr/mud