UK pledges to support 1.8 million Afghans with $100 million of life-saving aid

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has pledged $100 million of UK emergency aid to support 1.8 million Afghans.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Truss announced the move at the G7 Foreign and Development Ministers’ Meeting in Liverpool on Saturday during a G7 ministers meeting on the growing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

The UK will provide over 1.8 million people with food, health services, shelter and water.

“This vital aid will go through the UN and other trusted delivery partners and will help respond to the worsening humanitarian situation,” read the statement.

Truss also called for greater international cooperation to prevent serious risks of migration, regional instability and humanitarian crises in Afghanistan.

“The UK is providing vital humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan this winter. The funds announced today will save lives, protect women and girls and support stability in the region. We are determined to do all we can for the people of Afghanistan,” Truss said.

“The UK support is part of the £286 million ($380 million) it has pledged to give to Afghanistan this year. It will also be used to provide support for victims of gender-based violence and to fund essential child protection services.

“Aid agencies will prioritize those most at risk including households headed by women and disabled people,” she said.

WFP Executive Director, David Beasley meanwhile said: “What we are seeing on the ground is heart-breaking – 23 million people are facing severe hunger in a country crippled by drought, conflict and an economic crisis.

“Women and children are bearing the brunt of this suffering and, as the harsh winter descends, more and more are slipping into malnutrition and starvation each day.

“The World Food Programme welcomes this donation from the British people and Government which will help us save many lives.”

At a session on Saturday on Afghanistan, the G7 Foreign Ministers discussed taking a coordinated international response to the growing crisis in the country. Foreign ministers also talked about how to engage with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).