Karin Hulshof, the Deputy Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has announced that Japan has donated $30.6 million to UNICEF’s child support programs in Afghanistan and Myanmar, which she said will be used to provide education, healthcare, and safe nutrition to children in the two countries.
“Together with Japan, #UNICEF is providing #UniversalHealthCoverage #ForEveryChild in the region so that no child is left behind,” Hulshof said in a tweet on Tuesday.
Last December, Japan announced an additional $106.7 million in assistance for Afghanistan, bringing the total amount of Japan’s humanitarian aid to Afghanistan under Taliban rule to $335 million.
The Taliban’s return to power in August 2021 caused the collapse of the Afghan economy, leading the country into a deeper humanitarian crisis. The Taliban’s restrictions on women worsened the situation, resulting in many aid agencies suspending operations in the country..
According to the UN, Afghanistan is currently the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, with over 28 million people in need of aid for survival.
