King Salman orders extension of Citizen's Account Program and additional support for a full year    Al-Falih: 1,238 foreign investors obtain premium residency in Saudi Arabia    Irish PM apologizes for walking away from care worker    Several dead as Storm Bert wreaks havoc across Britain    Most decorated Australian Olympian McKeon retires    Adele doesn't know when she'll perform again after tearful Vegas goodbye    'Pregnant' for 15 months: Inside the 'miracle' pregnancy scam    Ukraine losing ground in Russia's Kursk region, says military source    Hezbollah fires rocket barrages into Israel after deadly Beirut strikes    Al Ittihad claims top spot in Saudi Pro League after victory over Al Fateh    Do cigarettes belong in a museum?    Saudi Arabia allows licensed flour milling companies to export flour    Saudi Arabia joins international partnership initiative to boost hydrogen economy    With 25 million monthly active users, Snap Inc. expands presence in Saudi Arabia to serve thriving community of creators, partners and clients    Riyadh Emir inaugurates International Conference on Conjoined Twins in Riyadh    Saudi delegation participates in the 7th U20 Deans Summit in Brazil    Saudi Arabia to host 28th Annual World Investment Conference in Riyadh    Al Khaleej stuns Al Hilal with 3-2 victory, ending 57-match unbeaten run    Al Khaleej qualifies for Asian Men's Club League Handball Championship final    Katy Perry v Katie Perry: Singer wins right to use name in Australia    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



EU announces $1.15bn in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 13 - 10 - 2021

The European Union has announced a revamped humanitarian aid package worth €1 billion ($1.15 billion) to deal with the aftermath of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
The new package builds upon €300 million which had been already agreed to support the country's civilian population, protect human rights and advance the coronavirus vaccination campaign. The European Commission will now add an extra €250 million for similar purposes.
These €550 million in aid will be channelled through international organisations working inside Afghanistan. The remaining €450 million have not yet been earmarked for concrete objectives.
Brussels has said it is ready to mobilise cash for neighbouring countries, like Iran and Pakistan, to help them host displaced Afghans and counter a new rise in terrorist activity and organised crime in the region. This support plan is yet to be designed and will depend on the evolution of the situation.
So far, no major movements of people leaving Afghanistan have been detected, but the European Union doesn't want to risk being caught by surprise. Shortly after the fall of Kabul, national ministers from the 27 member states agreed to boost financial support for neighbouring countries to avoid a repeat of the 2015 migration crisis, when more than one million asylum seekers, many of them coming from Afghanistan, suddenly arrived at the EU's external borders.
Back then, the bloc reacted hastily and chaotically, a scenario that both the EU institutions and the capitals are keen on averting. The current line of action is focused on injecting direct support to NGOs inside Afghanistan, as well as to neighbouring countries, in order to prevent a humanitarian crisis and a total collapse of the country's economy, which could potentially lead to a massive exodus of Afghans heading towards the continent.
In the meantime, a multi-year package of €1 billion in EU development aid remains frozen, the Commission confirmed. Unlike humanitarian aid, development assistance requires closer cooperation with the government and public authorities, currently dominated by the Taliban.
Unlocking this programme is contingent on five requirements established by EU foreign affairs ministers in mid-September. The criteria involve respect for the rule of law and human rights, including women's rights, and assurances that humanitarian aid operations are able to continue.
"We have been clear about our conditions for any engagement with the Afghan authorities, including on the respect of human rights. So far, the reports speak for themselves," Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said in a statement.
"But the Afghan people should not pay the price of the Taliban's actions. This is why the Afghan support package is for the Afghan people and the country ́s neighbours who have been the first in providing them with help."
Von der Leyen made the announcement during an extraordinary virtual meeting of G20 leaders that Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi convened to discuss the Afghanistan crisis.
The new aid package comes just mere days after the Commission hosted a high-level forum to discuss the question of resettlement with member states and other international allies. Brussels says the EU has a "moral duty" to give protection to Afghanistan's most vulnerable groups, such as women, girls, human rights defenders, journalists, judges and civil society activists.
However, since the 2015 migration crisis, resettlement has become a politically sensitive and highly divisive matter. Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), has already asked the bloc to host 42,500 of the 85,000 vulnerable Afghans over the next five years.
Ylva Johansson, EU Commissioner for home affairs, said the request was "doable" but member states have so far failed to agree on a collective pledge. By contrast, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada have already made specific commitments on how many Afghans they are willing to resettle.
"We will have time to find the right number," Johansson said. — Euronews


Clic here to read the story from its source.