Pakistan welcomes UN appeal for $5 billion in aid for Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday welcomed the United Nations’ decision to announce a $5 billion aid appeal for Afghanistan after the world body said it needed the money to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in the war-torn country.
The UN on Tuesday launched its largest ever humanitarian appeal for a single country, saying its aim was to deliver vital humanitarian relief to 22 million people in Afghanistan and support 5.7 million displaced Afghan nationals in five neighboring states.
The world body said $4.4 billion were needed in Afghanistan while $623 million would be spent to support millions of Afghans who have taken shelter beyond their country’s borders.
“We welcome this UN initiative which has followed Pak-initiated special OIC FMs mtg’s pledged support,” Prime Minister Imran Khan wrote in a Twitter post. “I have been making this appeal to [international] community to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan where the [people] have suffered ravages of 40 [years] of conflict.”

UN Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths warned in an official statement on Tuesday that “a full-blown humanitarian catastrophe” loomed in Afghanistan.
“My message is urgent: don’t shut the door on the people of Afghanistan,” he added.
The United States and other donor countries cut off financial assistance to Afghanistan after the Taliban swept back to power in August, isolating the country from the global financial system which paralyzed its bank system.
On December 19, Pakistan hosted the 17th Extraordinary Session of the Organization of Islamic Corporation’s Council of Foreign Ministers that focused on the economic and humanitarian crisis in the war-battered country.
Around 70 delegations from OIC member and non-member states — along with representatives of regional and international organizations — attended the summit in Islamabad. About 20 delegations were led by foreign ministers and 10 by their deputies or ministers of state.
At the conclusion of the summit, the OIC members states agreed to establish a Humanitarian Trust Fund to channel assistance to Afghanistan.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi also urged the international community on Tuesday to “do everything it can to prevent a catastrophe in Afghanistan, which would not only compound suffering but would drive further displacement both within the country and throughout the region.”