The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, through the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), has responded with an initial contribution of half a million euros to the request for international aid to combat the crisis in Afghanistan following the devastating magnitude 6 earthquake that struck the Asian country on 1 September.
This contribution, to be channelled through the International Federation of the Red Cross, in partnership with the Afghan Red Crescent Society, will go towards funding the Red Cross emergency appeal.
"Afghanistan is one of the main destinations for AECID’s humanitarian aid. The country is undergoing a complex humanitarian crisis, with a sharp deterioration of the situation in recent years, affecting above all the areas of food security and health, as well as the rights of women and girls", explains Minister José Manuel Albares.
Humanitarian action in Afghanistan
The situation caused by the earthquake is exacerbated by the return of more than 2.4 million Afghan refugees and asylum seekers from neighbouring countries, who are facing extremely precarious conditions.
Since 2021, the AECID has contributed 20.29 million euros to improve the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, primarily through the main humanitarian agencies of the United Nations and the Red Cross Movement. "The aim of these contributions is to support actions that, among other objectives, promote gender equality and strengthen education, supporting the access and retention of girls and adolescents in the education system", says Albares.
Contributions have continued over the last 5 years, and in 2024, the AECID channelled up to 5.5 million euros through the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNHCR and the Afghanistan Common Fund of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
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