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EU on the side of Afghanistan: Announces € 1 billion aid package for Afghan people

The EU shows its practical support to the Afghan people as Commission President Ursula von der Layen during the The G20 Summit on Afghanistan will announce a support package worth around € 1 billion.

This amount will be used to address emergencies in the country and the region, as the socio-economic situation in Afghanistan deteriorating, endangering hundreds of thousands of Afghans as winter approaches.

“Humanitarian aid alone will not be enough to prevent famine and a major humanitarian crisis” experts point out, of course.

Total EU development aid to Afghanistan “frozen”

Overall EU development assistance to Afghanistan remains “frozen”. The five benchmarks agreed by EU foreign ministers remain, according to the Athens News Agency. They must, however, be observed before regular development cooperation can be resumed.

The announcement follows EU Development Ministers’ discussion of a step-by-step approach to providing immediate support to the Afghan people in order to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe without legitimizing the Taliban interim government.

“Do what we can to prevent a major humanitarian and socio-economic collapse”

“We must do everything we can to prevent a major humanitarian and socio-economic collapse in Afghanistan,” she said. European Commission stressing “we have to do it fast”.

“We were clear about our terms for any cooperation with the Afghan authorities, including respect for human rights. So far, the reports speak for themselves. But the Afghan people must not pay the price for the Taliban’s actions. “This is why the Afghan aid package is for the Afghan people and the country’s neighbors who were the first to help them.” Ursula von der Leyen.

The President of the Commission

The Afghanistan Assistance Package combines EU humanitarian assistance with targeted support for basic needs for the immediate benefit of the Afghan people and neighboring countries.

The current package includes the 300 million euros for humanitarian purposes that have already been agreed. This humanitarian assistance is accompanied by additional, specialist support for vaccinations, shelters, and the protection of citizens and human rights.

The European Commission is working to enable the use of funds earmarked for Afghanistan of at least € 250 million to provide assistance to Afghans in urgent need, particularly in the field of health.

Afghanistan’s immediate neighbors were the first to provide security to Afghans fleeing the country. That is why additional funds will be made available to support these countries in managing migration, as well as in cooperating on the prevention of terrorism, the fight against organized crime and the smuggling of migrants.

AFGHANISTAN

In total, support for the Afghan people will amount to about 1 billion euros.

As noted in the EU Forum on Protecting Afghans at Risk, EU protection includes the short-term safe passage of Afghans associated with the EU and its Member States and vulnerable groups such as human rights defenders, women, journalists, civil society activists, police and law enforcement officials, judges and professionals in the judiciary, including their families.

In the medium and long term, the Commission will support with a multi-annual program Member States that decide to host Afghans at risk through European funding for resettlement and humanitarian entry and other complementary routes, as well as operational assistance from the EU justice and home affairs services.

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