Government to announce new and bespoke resettlement scheme for Afghans

Please see below some background information and an on-the-record quote on the UK Government’s work on Afghanistan.

• The Prime Minister will shortly announce a new and bespoke resettlement scheme for those Afghans most in need as he continues to push for a co-ordinated international response to the situation in Afghanistan.
• This evening the Prime Minister spoke to French President Macron and he will speak to other world leaders in the coming days.
• Earlier today the PM chaired a meeting of COBR where he received an update on the urgent work to bring British nationals, Afghan former UK Government employees and others home from Afghanistan. We will shortly have approx. 900 Armed Forces personnel in Kabul.
• COBR also discussed the need for the international community to work together to bring stability and prevent a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
• We are using the UK’s convening power to push for high-level international discussions on the current crisis, including calling a virtual meeting of G7 leaders in the coming days. The G7 meeting will focus on ensuring Afghanistan does not once again become a source of international terrorist threats, supporting the people of Afghanistan, including through increased humanitarian assistance and agreeing expectations of whatever government emerges in Afghanistan.
• A meeting of the UN Security Council took place this afternoon and we hope the five permanent members of the UNSC – who have particular, shared, responsibility to lead this work – will convene again very soon. Following the Prime Minister’s call with President Macron, the UK and France will work together on a joint UNSC resolution.

• The Government is currently finalising the details of a new and bespoke resettlement scheme focused on helping those most Afghans most in need, particularly women and girls.

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

“The UK team in Afghanistan is working around the clock in incredibly difficult circumstances to help British nationals and as many others as we can get to safety as soon as possible.

“At the same time, we are bringing together the international community to prevent a humanitarian crisis emerging in Afghanistan – it’s in everyone’s interest not to let Afghanistan fail.

“That means providing whatever support we can to the Afghan people who have worked so hard to make the country a better place over the last twenty years and who are now in need of our help.”