ISLAMABAD: The European Union has released 61 million euros in humanitarian aid to address the needs of vulnerable people in Afghanistan as well as Afghan refugees in Pakistan in view of the humanitarian situation that continues to be of serious concern.

Sixty million euros were allocated for humanitarian organisations working in Afghanistan and another one million for those in Pakistan, according to a statement issued the directorate-general for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) in Brussels.

The new funding will help address the food crisis in Afghanistan, where nearly half of the population is acutely food insecure. It will also serve to cover other needs such as shelter, protection, health care, nutrition and water and sanitation, notably for the population affected by the string of earthquakes that hit the west of the country in October.

Part of the funding will also support Afghan refugees returning to Afghanistan, prioritising protection monitoring, and immediate support in host communities.

On the fund release, EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic said, “The humanitarian needs of Afghan people remain very worrying, even more following the devastating earthquakes. The EU acted immediately after the disaster with a first emergency aid package, and now we add a substantial increase in funding to help the Afghan population still struggling in the affected areas but also across the country, as well as those who are still in Pakistan or returning.”

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2023