The European Union is mobilising EUR 16.5 million (USD 17.9 million) to assist the most vulnerable people in Pakistan who have been affected by conflict, as well as climate-induced disasters.
Of the overall allocation, EUR 15 million (USD 16.3 million) will fund humanitarian organisations in Pakistan to provide food assistance, shelter, water and sanitation services, as well as support Afghan refugees and their host communities, said the European Commission, the EU’s executive body, in a statement on Tuesday.
The other EUR 1.5 million (USD 1.6 million) will focus on disaster preparedness programmes to promote climate resilience, foster coordination with local authorities and enhance the response.
The spillover of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is also affecting neighbouring countries, especially Pakistan and Iran, which continue to deal with cross-border displacement, it said.
Pakistan has hosted refugees for over four decades. The estimated Afghan population in Pakistan amounts to around 3.7 million, including a deemed 1.6 million undocumented Afghans and those of other status.
The EU has allocated over EUR 136 million (USD 148 million) in humanitarian assistance for Pakistan since 2016, it noted.
Source: Kuwait News Agency
