Donors Pledge $1Bn To Fight Afghan Humanitarian Crisis After UN Call For $606Mn Aid

UN chief Antonio Guterres stated that the country can run out of food by the end of this month. Meanwhile, China & Pakistan have called for international solidarity to help Afghans.

Members and supporters of New York's Afghan community hold placards as they attend a march and protest aiming to raise awareness of Afghanistan's refugee crisis following the Taliban takeover, in New York on August 28, 2021. | AFP

New Delhi: After a chaotic exit of the US and Afghanistan grappling with an economic and humanitarian crisis, UN chief Antonio Guterres on Monday urged countries to dig deep and provide aid to Afghans and asked for $606 million funding during the conference.

At a donor conference, Guterres insisted that "the people of Afghanistan need a lifeline". It is being reported by Reuters that donors have pledged more than $1.1 billion in aid to help Afghanistan.

Poverty and hunger have gone up since the Taliban took power, and foreign aid has dried up, raising the specter of a mass exodus.

READ: 'India Willing To Stand By Afghan People As In Past', Says EAM S Jaishankar At UN High-Level Meeting

Guterres stated that food could run out by the end of this month. As per the World Food Programme 14 million people were on the brink of starvation.

India To Stand By Afghan People  

While speaking about the concerns of Afghanistan on the same at the UN High-Level Meeting on the Humanitarian Situation, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said, “Afghanistan is passing through a critical and challenging phase. There's been a sea change in its political, economic, social, and security situation and consequently, in its humanitarian needs,” the External Affairs said, as quoted by news agency ANI.

The minister also said it is important that issues of travel and safe passage that can emerge as obstacles to humanitarian assistance be immediately sorted out. “Those who wish to travel in and out of Afghanistan should be granted such facilities without obstruction,” EAM Jaishankar added.

Elaborating on India's position, S Jaishankar said that “India’s own approach to Afghanistan has been guided by historical friendship with its people. This will continue to be the case. Even in the past, we have contributed to the humanitarian needs of that society”.

China, Pakistan Call For International solidarity

On the other hand, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi addressing the high-level ministerial meeting on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan held in Geneva via video link, Qureshi "called for international solidarity with the Afghan people, both in terms of financial and political support," according to the Foreign Office.

Qureshi also emphasized the need to renew developmental partnerships, support nation-building, and meet the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people.

China also urged asked the US and the international community to take "active actions" to help ease the economic crisis in Afghanistan by providing aid to the war-torn country even as it called on the Taliban to stay true to its commitment not to allow terrorist groups to operate from Afghan soil.

"The Afghan Taliban should stay true to its commitment and earnestly make a clean break with all terrorist forces and take effective measures to crack down on them to avoid the spillover effects,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing on Monday.

"Terrorism remains a common threat for the international community. China stands ready to work with other countries to deepen counter-terrorism cooperation to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a hotbed and safe haven for terrorism and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability,” he said.