SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
A vendor pushes his handcart loaded with brooms as a girl watches in Kabul on September 13, 2021. (Photo by Bulent Kilic / AFP via Getty Images)
After Spending Trillions on War in Afghanistan, US Answers Call for Aid With Just $64 Million
"It was right (and long overdue) to withdraw our troops from Afghanistan; but the United States still has a profound responsibility to the Afghan people," said Win Without War.
Sep 13, 2021
International policymakers pledged about $1 billion in aid for Afghanistan Monday following a plea from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for immediate funding to protect Afghan children and other vulnerable people from starvation--but just 6% was pledged by the country which led Afghanistan into two decades of war before withdrawing all troops at the end of August.
The U.S. State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced the country would direct $64 million to Afghanistan to "provide lifesaving support directly to Afghans facing the compounding effects of insecurity, conflict, recurring natural disasters, and the Covid-19 pandemic."
"At least one million children will suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year and could die without treatment."
--Henrietta Fore, UNICEF
Guterres had appealed to the international community for at least $606 million, warning that Afghans now "face perhaps their most perilous hour" after the 20-year U.S. occupation.
Since the Taliban took control of the country last month, the Afghan population of 38 million people has been cut off from aid projects run by the World Bank, International Monetary Fund payments, and U.S.-controlled assets in Afghanistan's central bank.
"Even before the dramatic events of the last weeks, Afghans were experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world," said Guterres. "Today, one in three Afghans do not know where their next meal will come from. The poverty rate is spiraling--and basic public services are close to collapse. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes."
The loss of humanitarian funding--which nearly 10 million Afghan children depend on "just to survive," according to Henrietta Fore of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), who also spoke at the conference--comes as the country faces its second drought in three years. The World Food Program (WFP) estimated this month that 40% of crops this year have been lost, pushing the price of wheat up by 25%.
The WFP's stock of food aid for the country is expected to run out by the end of September, the New York Times reported recently.
"At least one million children will suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year and could die without treatment," Fore said Monday.
As Common Dreams reported last week, aid groups have warned that the slashing of Western aid to Afghanistan has resulted in the health system approaching a collapse, as healthcare workers continue to face the Covid-19 pandemic.
The U.S. pledge amounted to about 10% of the U.N.'s original request on Monday. Prior to Guterres' appeal on Monday, Pakistan had sent food and medicine to its neighboring country while China had provided $31 million in aid. Iran also said it had sent humanitarian aid, according to Reuters.
As USAID announced its intention to respond to the U.N.'s plea for help, grassroots anti-war network Win Without War called on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to answer several key questions about how the people of Afghanistan will be supported following the end of the U.S.-led war, particularly how the U.S. will "ensure that Afghans will receive sufficient humanitarian aid."
\u201c1\u20e3 It was right (and long overdue) to withdraw our troops from Afghanistan; but the United States still has a profound responsibility to the Afghan people. How will you ensure that Afghans will receive sufficient humanitarian aid?\u201d— Win Without War (@Win Without War) 1631544817
Win Without War also called on Blinken to "commit to significantly raising the U.S. refugee cap so that the people fleeing violence and persecution can find safe haven in the United States," noting that the U.S.-led war "helped fuel a refugee crisis" in Afghanistan.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
International policymakers pledged about $1 billion in aid for Afghanistan Monday following a plea from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for immediate funding to protect Afghan children and other vulnerable people from starvation--but just 6% was pledged by the country which led Afghanistan into two decades of war before withdrawing all troops at the end of August.
The U.S. State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced the country would direct $64 million to Afghanistan to "provide lifesaving support directly to Afghans facing the compounding effects of insecurity, conflict, recurring natural disasters, and the Covid-19 pandemic."
"At least one million children will suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year and could die without treatment."
--Henrietta Fore, UNICEF
Guterres had appealed to the international community for at least $606 million, warning that Afghans now "face perhaps their most perilous hour" after the 20-year U.S. occupation.
Since the Taliban took control of the country last month, the Afghan population of 38 million people has been cut off from aid projects run by the World Bank, International Monetary Fund payments, and U.S.-controlled assets in Afghanistan's central bank.
"Even before the dramatic events of the last weeks, Afghans were experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world," said Guterres. "Today, one in three Afghans do not know where their next meal will come from. The poverty rate is spiraling--and basic public services are close to collapse. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes."
The loss of humanitarian funding--which nearly 10 million Afghan children depend on "just to survive," according to Henrietta Fore of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), who also spoke at the conference--comes as the country faces its second drought in three years. The World Food Program (WFP) estimated this month that 40% of crops this year have been lost, pushing the price of wheat up by 25%.
The WFP's stock of food aid for the country is expected to run out by the end of September, the New York Times reported recently.
"At least one million children will suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year and could die without treatment," Fore said Monday.
As Common Dreams reported last week, aid groups have warned that the slashing of Western aid to Afghanistan has resulted in the health system approaching a collapse, as healthcare workers continue to face the Covid-19 pandemic.
The U.S. pledge amounted to about 10% of the U.N.'s original request on Monday. Prior to Guterres' appeal on Monday, Pakistan had sent food and medicine to its neighboring country while China had provided $31 million in aid. Iran also said it had sent humanitarian aid, according to Reuters.
As USAID announced its intention to respond to the U.N.'s plea for help, grassroots anti-war network Win Without War called on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to answer several key questions about how the people of Afghanistan will be supported following the end of the U.S.-led war, particularly how the U.S. will "ensure that Afghans will receive sufficient humanitarian aid."
\u201c1\u20e3 It was right (and long overdue) to withdraw our troops from Afghanistan; but the United States still has a profound responsibility to the Afghan people. How will you ensure that Afghans will receive sufficient humanitarian aid?\u201d— Win Without War (@Win Without War) 1631544817
Win Without War also called on Blinken to "commit to significantly raising the U.S. refugee cap so that the people fleeing violence and persecution can find safe haven in the United States," noting that the U.S.-led war "helped fuel a refugee crisis" in Afghanistan.
International policymakers pledged about $1 billion in aid for Afghanistan Monday following a plea from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for immediate funding to protect Afghan children and other vulnerable people from starvation--but just 6% was pledged by the country which led Afghanistan into two decades of war before withdrawing all troops at the end of August.
The U.S. State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced the country would direct $64 million to Afghanistan to "provide lifesaving support directly to Afghans facing the compounding effects of insecurity, conflict, recurring natural disasters, and the Covid-19 pandemic."
"At least one million children will suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year and could die without treatment."
--Henrietta Fore, UNICEF
Guterres had appealed to the international community for at least $606 million, warning that Afghans now "face perhaps their most perilous hour" after the 20-year U.S. occupation.
Since the Taliban took control of the country last month, the Afghan population of 38 million people has been cut off from aid projects run by the World Bank, International Monetary Fund payments, and U.S.-controlled assets in Afghanistan's central bank.
"Even before the dramatic events of the last weeks, Afghans were experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world," said Guterres. "Today, one in three Afghans do not know where their next meal will come from. The poverty rate is spiraling--and basic public services are close to collapse. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes."
The loss of humanitarian funding--which nearly 10 million Afghan children depend on "just to survive," according to Henrietta Fore of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), who also spoke at the conference--comes as the country faces its second drought in three years. The World Food Program (WFP) estimated this month that 40% of crops this year have been lost, pushing the price of wheat up by 25%.
The WFP's stock of food aid for the country is expected to run out by the end of September, the New York Times reported recently.
"At least one million children will suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year and could die without treatment," Fore said Monday.
As Common Dreams reported last week, aid groups have warned that the slashing of Western aid to Afghanistan has resulted in the health system approaching a collapse, as healthcare workers continue to face the Covid-19 pandemic.
The U.S. pledge amounted to about 10% of the U.N.'s original request on Monday. Prior to Guterres' appeal on Monday, Pakistan had sent food and medicine to its neighboring country while China had provided $31 million in aid. Iran also said it had sent humanitarian aid, according to Reuters.
As USAID announced its intention to respond to the U.N.'s plea for help, grassroots anti-war network Win Without War called on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to answer several key questions about how the people of Afghanistan will be supported following the end of the U.S.-led war, particularly how the U.S. will "ensure that Afghans will receive sufficient humanitarian aid."
\u201c1\u20e3 It was right (and long overdue) to withdraw our troops from Afghanistan; but the United States still has a profound responsibility to the Afghan people. How will you ensure that Afghans will receive sufficient humanitarian aid?\u201d— Win Without War (@Win Without War) 1631544817
Win Without War also called on Blinken to "commit to significantly raising the U.S. refugee cap so that the people fleeing violence and persecution can find safe haven in the United States," noting that the U.S.-led war "helped fuel a refugee crisis" in Afghanistan.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.