On Tuesday 18 January, the European Commission announced that the EU is mobilising €268.3 million to increase direct support to the Afghan population in response to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
This amount corresponds to the implementation of part of the €1 billion in aid promised by the EU at the October G20 summit (see EUROPE 12829/18, 12810/3).
The aim of EU assistance is to maintain education, preserve livelihoods and protect public health, including for refugees, migrants and internally displaced persons.
It is channelled through UN agencies that are working in Afghanistan.
“The projects focus on health, nutrition, clean water, sanitation and education, especially for women and girls”, said the Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen.
Seven projects worth a total of €186 million support the health, education and livelihoods of Afghans and will be implemented by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Food Programme (WFP).
Five projects totalling €79 million tackle forced displacement and migration in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and Central Asia.
Two projects totalling €3.3 million strengthen support for defenders of human rights and civil society organisations. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)