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- Gulf states pledged combined $40m to Afghan people in March fundraiser
LONDON: Qatar and Kuwait reaffirmed their commitment to provide aid to Afghanistan at a UN General Assembly session on Thursday.
UN Permanent Representative of Qatar Sheikha Alia Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani said that her country had made long-term diplomatic and political efforts to facilitate negotiations between local and international parties to end the war in Afghanistan, Qatar News Agency reported.
Qatar’s efforts resulted in the joint declaration between the US and Taliban in February 2020.
Sheikha Alia also noted the High-Level Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Crisis in Afghanistan, during which Qatar pledged $25 million to the Afghan people as part of its humanitarian response plan.
She said that Qatar has made peace and development a priority of its post-war engagement in Afghanistan, particularly the issue of empowering women and girls, citing Qatar’s Education Above All Foundation, which helped 250 Afghan students, half of whom are women, resume their education.
Qatar will “always work” for Afghanistan’s stability and prosperity, she added, urging collective action to prevent Afghanistan from becoming an example of the international community’s failure.
Meanwhile, UN Permanent Representative of Kuwait Bader Al-Daihani said that his country will continue to support Afghanistan through coordination and close collaboration with international relief organizations, particularly with the arrival of winter and its implications on food security in the country, Kuwait News Agency reported.
“Since August last year, over the course of weeks, Kuwait has worked and cooperated with various countries to carry out evacuation operations for approximately 15,000 people of 32 different nationalities across its territory, in order to facilitate the transit of all people and ensure their arrival to their final destinations, due to the humanitarian crisis,” Al-Daihani said.
Kuwait has provided $92 million in humanitarian aid to Afghans, he added.
Al-Daihani said that the most recent Kuwaiti aid to the country was announced at a high-level meeting in March, when the Gulf state contributed $10 million in addition to $5 million provided by UN specialized agencies and the Red Cross.