Britain said on Tuesday that it will co-host an international aid conference with the United Nations next month intended to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

image1

In a press release, the UK government said the virtual pledging conference is aimed to help the UN raise $4.4 billion for Afghanistan, the largest amount it has ever requested for a single country.

Last month, the UN launched an appeal to raise $4.4 billion in aid to help over 24.4 million Afghans needing urgent humanitarian support to survive.

Donor countries, UN agencies and members of the Afghan civil society are expected to participate in the virtual event, the UK government said.

"The conference is a critical moment for the international community to step up support in an effort to stop the growing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. The scale of need is unparalleled, and consequences of inaction will be devastating," UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said.

The UN has repeatedly warned of the looming humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and has called on the international community to support the people of Afghanistan in this difficult time.

UN Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said: "We are very grateful to the UK for co-hosting this important event to mobilize international support for the humanitarian needs of Afghanistan. We welcome donors from around the globe to join together to save the lives and futures of Afghans."

Last year, the UK committed £286 million to support Afghans.

Following the collapse of the former government, Afghanistan’s central bank’s assets were frozen abroad, and the international development assistance was cut off. Since then, Afghanistan has faced a dire economic and humanitarian situation.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan today said it will do everything it can to help the Afghan money frozen abroad return to the people of Afghanistan.

On Friday, US President Joe Biden signed an executive order calling for half of the $7 billion of the Afghan frozen funds be used for compensation for victims of 9/11.

Today, people in Kabul and a number of provinces protested against the decision and called for the return of all the Afghan funds.