Afghanistan: Red Cross proposes to raise budget for humanitarian activities

ICRC President Peter Maurer said that The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will propose increasing the funding for its programmes and initiatives in Afghanistan, at the upcoming UN humanitarian conference on Afghanistan in Geneva. According to Sputnik, a UN meeting in Afghanistan will be held in Geneva on Monday at the level of permanent representatives to address the country's mounting humanitarian needs.

Peter Maurer said, "We will certainly come with a budget increase proposal, at least, a provisional budget increase proposal, next Monday as we convene for a UN conference on Afghanistan, for a humanitarian conference on Afghanistan on Monday."

The Red Cross has over 100 international and local personnel in Afghanistan

With 11 full-fledged offices in Afghanistan, the Red Cross has over 100 international and 1,700 local personnel. According to the ICRC President, the one-year budget is currently $90 million.

"We believe that humanitarian organisations, like the ICRC, will get enough funding in order to enlarge our activities in Afghanistan," Maurer stated.

Maurer, who recently returned from a four-day tour to Afghanistan, during which he travelled from Kabul to Lashkar Gah and Kandahar, also stated that the war has placed immense demands on the civilian population in particular. According to him, the time is right to invest more and provide greater support for the Afghan people's urgent and long-term needs.

ICRC has been operating in Afghanistan for more than 30 years, and it plans to maintain its workers there even after several countries and international organisations began evacuating the country following the Taliban's takeover last month. According to Sputnik, the ICRC will not adjust its ground activities and will continue to give humanitarian aid to all sides in the conflict.

According to the United Nations, 18 million Afghans (over half of the population), require humanitarian assistance. According to the Afghan Ministry of Economy, 90% of Afghans live on less than $2 a day, with 11 million people enduring severe food insecurity. ICRC looks committed to providing impartial support to all those in need but insisted that humanitarian aid is not a long-term solution for any country. 

ICRC was founded in 1863

ICRC was founded in 1863 to assist people impacted by conflict and armed violence around the world, as well as to promote laws that protect war victims. Its mandate originates from the 1949 Geneva Conventions, which make it a neutral, independent, and unbiased body.

(Inputs from ANI)

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