INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a contribution of $3.8 million from the United Nations Central Emergency Response
Fund (CERF) to support Afghans forced to leave Pakistan and return to Afghanistan.The funding will allow WFP to provide cash assistance to
nearly 33,000 families or more than 230,000 children, women and men, including persons with disabilities returning to Afghanistan at a time
when already one third of the people are going hungry.&With 500,000 Afghans having returned from Pakistan since last September, the
importance of this timely allocation from the Central Emergency Response Fund cannot be overstated,& said Isabelle Moussard Carlsen, Head of
Office for OCHA Afghanistan.&In the face of the harsh Afghan winter, coinciding with the lean season and peak food insecurity, this CERF
funding is a lifeline for thousands of returnees ensuring their immediate and long-term food needs are met
We remain committed to a sustained effort in supporting the most vulnerable and call for unwavering global solidarity with Afghanistan,& she
said.These families are arriving at the worst of times, in winter, when hunger bites hardest in Afghanistan and humanitarian funding is at a
Last year, funding shortages forced WFP to reduce the ration size and scale back life-saving food assistance, affecting 10 million
people.&With the massive funding shortfalls for humanitarian action in Afghanistan, WFP has been able to respond to new crises only by
borrowing from an already underfunded regular programme,& said Mutinta Chimuka, Deputy Country Director of WFP Afghanistan
&Thanks to the contribution from the Central Emergency Response Fund, WFP will be able to support more than 230,000 Afghans forced to
return from Pakistan with cash to cover the families& food needs for one month
This not only gives them the choice but also stimulates local economies by supporting markets and shops.&The rapid funding made available
through the CERF for WFP in Afghanistan has been crucial to reach some of the most vulnerable communities struck by shocks with life-saving
assistance.The post UN contributes to WFP&s fund for returning Afghans from Pakistan first appeared on Ariana News.
