26m Afghans given humanitarian aid last year: UN

KABUL (Pajhwok): Special Representative of the Secretary-General and UNAMA head Roza Otunbayeva says they have provided humanitarian assistance to 26 million Afghans last year.

She said this at a meeting with the deputy governor of southern Kandahar province, Maulvi Hayatullah Mubarak.

A statement from the governor’s house quoted Otunbayeva as saying she had tried to strengthen ties between Afghanistan and the world since the inception of her mission in the country.

She added her visit to Kandahar was aimed to talk directly to local people about alternatives to poppy cultivation in the province.

They were working together with Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) to provide people with loans to start small businesses, she explained.

According to her, they have provided humanitarian aid to 26 million Afghans through various UN agencies last year.

The UNAMA head said they were trying to funding toAfghanistan in future and implement necessary development schemes in addition to humanitarian assistance.

For his part, Mubarak highlighted the current invest opportunities in Afghanistan.

He urged the UNAMA head to implement basic development projects for the prosperity of the people, provide farmers with alternative livelihoods and cooperate with relevant departments in treatment of drug addicts.

kk/mud