WFP's $27.5 million funding request for emergency assistance to refugees returning from Pakistan

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - International Service: The United Nations agency issued a statement on Thursday, November 23, and said that most of the families crossing the border are hungry, desperate and in need of immediate support.

 

According to the announcement, in the current month, 250 thousand people have been covered by the food aid programs of this organization.

 

"The World Food Program in Afghanistan is currently severely underfunded, and without additional funding, we cannot continue to support these families who arrive at the border with little more than the basics and some bread for their journey," the statement said. "

 

Shao Wei Li, head of the World Food Program, pointed out that Afghanistan is still suffering from devastating earthquakes, weak economy and climate crisis, and said: "We are going to support the one million returnees from Pakistan who come to Afghanistan and help them get through the winter. We need 27.5 million dollars urgently".

 

Meanwhile, international aid organizations, including the World Food Program, were already facing a lack of funds in Afghanistan. The World Food Program was forced to withdraw ten million people from its emergency food aid this year due to lack of funds.

 

While the World Food Program has asked for 27.5 million dollars to help one million returnees, Martin Griffiths, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said on November 20 (29 Scorpio) that the organization is to meet the basic needs of Afghan refugees who return to Afghanistan from Pakistan, 10 million dollars have been allocated.

 

In early October, the interim government of Pakistan announced that foreign citizens living in the country without residence documents, mostly Afghan citizens, must voluntarily leave the country by November 1, otherwise, they will be arrested and returned to their countries. be.

 

According to the statistics provided by the government officials of the Islamic Emirate and the Pakistani officials, in the last few weeks, more or less 400 thousand Afghan refugees have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan.