India Votes In Favour To Ease Sanctions On Humanitarian Aid For Afghanistan At UN Security Council

The Council called for a provision to review the implementation of the humanitarian carve out after a year, which Tirumurti welcomed.

India’s permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti | Photo: Twitter/@ambtstirumurti

New Delhi: At the United Nations Security Council, India has voted in favour to ease curbs on sanctions for humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, reported PTI. India underlined that the Council should oversee the delivery of assistance and guard against any possible diversion of funds. 

“At UN #SecurityCouncil, India supported the resolution to grant exemption from sanctions for humanitarian assistance to #Afghanistan. Access should be without hindrance. Disbursement be non-discriminatory & accessible to all, irrespective of ethnicity, religion, political belief,” wrote India’s permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador T S Tirumurti. 

At UN #SecurityCouncil, India supported resolution to grant exemption from sanctions for humanitarian assistance to #Afghanistan

Access should be without hindrance

Disbursement be non-discriminatory & accessible to all, irrespective of ethnicity, religion, political belief -1/2 pic.twitter.com/VZvYbJrbip

— PR/Amb T S Tirumurti (@ambtstirumurti) December 22, 2021

“In #UNSC on #Afghanistan, I added #SecurityCouncil should exercise oversight on delivery of such assistance & guard against diversion or misuse of funds,” he wrote in another tweet. 

He said that the disbursement of funds should be non discriminatory and accessible for all.
Humanitarian assistance should be based on the principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence and disbursement of the aid should be non-discriminatory and accessible to all irrespective of ethnicity, religion, or political belief,” he said as reported by PTI. 

He emphasised that the funds should first of all reach the vulnerable section of the population including women, children and minorities. “At the same time, this Council should equally exercise its oversight on the delivery of assistance as well as guard against any possible diversion of funds,” he added. 

Tirumurti said that Afghanistan was facing a dire humanitarian situation and there were reports which suggested that more than half of the population was facing emergency levels or crisis of acute food insecurity.  He said that urgent humanitarian assistance was required to meet basic food needs of the people. 

The Council called for a provision to review the implementation of the humanitarian carve out after a year, which Tirumurti welcomed.