EU humanitarian aid for Afghanistan

Summary: May 27, 2004: Commission allocates €35.16 million in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan (Brussels)

The European Commission has allocated €35.16 million for humanitarian aid to vulnerable people affected by the consequences of the Afghan crisis in both Afghanistan and in neighbouring Pakistan and Iran in 2004. The overarching objective of this aid is to continue assisting the most vulnerable sections of the population while supporting the return and reintegration of refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs). Activities will include the rehabilitation of water and sanitation systems; the provision of shelter, healthcare and nutrition; the establishment of 'cash for work' activities; and the protection of vulnerable groups. Funding is also being provided for air transport and security information systems to facilitate access and boost the security of humanitarian aid workers. Funds are managed by the Commission's Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO).

Commenting on the new decision, Poul Nielson, the Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, said: "The main challenge faced by the humanitarian community in Afghanistan is the specific targeting of relief workers by anti-western armed groups. Since March 2003, 23 aid staff have been killed. Although more areas of the country have become off-limits to relief workers, ECHO's partners are continuing to deliver vital aid wherever possible. The Commission remains committed to helping humanitarian organisations reach the most vulnerable in Afghanistan."

After 23 years of conflict and five years of drought, Afghanistan still faces enormous needs. The country's Human Development Index (estimated) places it second-bottom in the world after Sierra Leone. Maternal mortality is extremely high (1600 deaths per 100,000 live births) while infant mortality is the highest in Asia (165 per 1000). Only 13% of Afghans have access to safe water and 70% of the population is undernourished.

On the positive side, the situation has improved since the fall of the Taliban in November 2001. More than three million refugees and IDPs have returned home - a testament to the success of the international humanitarian community's efforts in Afghanistan that has attracted relatively little publicity.

Between 2001 and 2003, ECHO provided humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and to neighbouring Iran and Pakistan worth €183.5 million (not including the assistance provided to Iran in response to the Bam earthquake in December 2003). The funds have helped sustain the massive return of refugees and IDPs to Afghanistan, provided essential support for remaining refugees and IDPs, tackled humanitarian needs resulting from the drought, and generally alleviated the suffering of the victims of the crisis.

Planned activities under the 2004 aid are:

Livelihood security support: Cash for work projects that give people the chance to earn an income in return for work of benefit to the community - such as rehabilitation of water systems, rubbish disposal and snow clearing. Income-generating activities (with a focus on women) including small-scale seed distribution, and the production of clothes and toys.
Shelter: Construction of shelters for returnees, on a self-help basis (distribution of materials and training of beneficiaries on the use of anti-seismic construction techniques).
Water and sanitation: Increased access to both drinking and agricultural water, as well as to improved sanitation facilities. This component will be partly implemented through the aforementioned 'cash for work' projects.
Health: Provision of basic healthcare for groups and areas not yet reached by the national health system with a particular focus on women and children (the Afghan Government is progressively implementing a basic package of health services, which is partly funded by the European Commission, but some humanitarian health interventions are still required in the meantime).
Protection activities: Support for refugees in Iran and Pakistan and IDPs in southern Afghanistan who are wholly dependent on humanitarian aid. Repatriation assistance. Specific assistance for groups at risk such as street children and security detainees.
Security: Funding for a humanitarian flight operation and a security office providing information and advice to ECHO's operational partners.

With this global plan, ECHO's humanitarian assistance to the victims of the Afghan crisis (in Afghanistan, and in neighbouring Iran and Pakistan) since 1993 has now reached €338 million.

Development assistance

The EU has been and continues to be one of the major providers of external assistance to Afghanistan, backing the current reconstruction process. In 2002, the Commission delivered over €280 million (including €72 million from ECHO). In 2003, the Commission delivered over €300 million (including extra €50 million to promote security by supporting police salaries and training, and €55 million from ECHO). In 2004, the EC expects to commit around €245 million for reconstruction and humanitarian support (including this the €35.16 million now allocated).

For additional information on ECHO activities: http://europa.eu.int/comm/echo/index_en.htm

Ref: EC04-130EN
EU source: European Commission
UN forum:
Date: 27/5/2004

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