The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Afghanistan has said that Switzerland has recently contributed 1.5 million Swiss francs (US$ 1.7 million) to the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF) amid funding shortages.
OCHA set up AHF as a response to complex emergencies and to support the highest-priority projects that cater to the needs of the most vulnerable people.
In a tweet on Monday, the agency expressed its thanks to Switzerland for its continued support to humanitarian responses in the country.
“Thank you Switzerland for your new contribution of CHF 1.5 million for 2023 to support life-saving activities in Afghanistan,” OCHA said in the tweet. “Switzerland, being a multi-year donor, has contributed CHF 18 million to the AHF since 2016.”
The Netherlands and Iceland have recently contributed 25 million euros and 40 million ISK (around $290,000) to the fund respectively.
The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has worsened since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, with over two-thirds of the population, approximately 28.8 million people, now requiring urgent humanitarian assistance.
OCHA has appealed $3.2 billion in assistance from the international community, has only received $475.9 million so far.
