UK sends £50m in humanitarian support for Afghans living under the Taliban
The UK has sent £50m in humanitarian support for Afghans living under the Taliban today, as part of the £286m aid package it announced in September.
The funds will be pumped into UN agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross, after NATO withdrew the final forces from Afghanistan two months ago this week.
“We now have a responsibility to protect the people of Afghanistan most at risk under the Taliban regime, particularly women and girls,” prime minister Boris Johnson said.
“Today’s funding will provide urgent protection for the most vulnerable people. But preventing a humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan and preserving the gains of the last twenty years will require a truly global effort.”
It comes as the government confirmed on Wednesday that it would return to offering 0.7 per cent of national income in foreign aid – after slashing the figures amid fiscal pandemic pressures.