UK to co-host summit to address Afghanistan humanitarian crisis

·       UK to co-host an upcoming United Nations virtual pledging summit

·       It will aim to raise the $4.4bn the UN needs to address the growing humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan

·       UK has committed £286m to support Afghans in the last year and FCDO officials including the UK’s humanitarian envoy visited Kabul last week

The UK will co-host a high-level pledging summit with the UN next month to support the response to the growing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.  

Donor countries, UN agencies and Afghan civil society are expected to take part in the virtual event. Pledges made at the summit will go towards the UN’s biggest-ever appeal for a single country, launched last month.

The UN is seeking to raise $4.4 billion to help over 24.4 million Afghans needing urgent humanitarian help to survive. Half the country’s population are facing acute hunger.

The summit will also aim to garner international support to help Afghans access basic services, particularly health and education. Funding is channelled through trusted UN agencies and charities on the ground.  

The Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said:

“The conference is a critical moment for the international community to step up support in an effort to stop the growing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. The scale of need is unparalleled, and consequences of inaction will be devastating.

“The UK is determined to lead the global effort. We will bring international allies together to raise vital aid to deliver food, shelter and health services, protect women and girls and support stability in the region.”

Martin Griffiths, the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said:

“We are very grateful to the UK for co-hosting this important event to mobilize international support for the humanitarian needs of Afghanistan. We welcome donors from around the globe to join together to save the lives and futures of Afghans.

"Every day of delay means more misery for the Afghan people. They need a lifeline.”

The other co-hosts of the summit will be announced in due course.

UK officials, including Nick Dyer, the UK’s Special Envoy for Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Affairs,visited Kabul last week (February 10) for talks with the Taliban on how to respond to the country’s deepening humanitarian crisis.

Last month, the UK pledged £97 million of emergency aid to provide over 2.7 million people with food, health services, and water. It brought the total pledged by the UK in the financial year to £286 million.

UK aid allocated since October will support over 60 hospitals, provide health services for over 300,000 people; ensure 4.47 million people get emergency food assistance through the World Food Programme; and provide 6.1 million people with emergency health, water, protection, shelter, food, and education support through the UN Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund.