New Delhi calls for enabling ecosystem to help out Afghans

India on Monday said at a high-level meeting on Afghanistan in United Nations that it was willing to stand by the Afghans but advised that an enabling environment was necessary to expedite the process.

India also called for non-discriminatory approach to distribution of relief so that it reached all sections of the Afghan society, including the ethnic and minority groups. India said commercial operations at Kabul airport should be regularised to ease flow of relief materials, adding that this would complement domestic relief measures.

“I wish to underline that in the face of a grave emerging situation, India is willing to stand by the Afghan people, just as in the past. To ensure that this happens speedily and effectively, we believe that the international community must come together to create the best possible enabling environment,” foreign minister S Jaishankar said.


“Among the challenges that the current situation poses are that of efficient logistics. It is therefore essential that humanitarian assistance providers are accorded unimpeded, unrestricted and direct access to Afghanistan. Once relief materials reach that country, the world will naturally expect a non-discriminatory distribution of humanitarian assistance across all sections of the Afghan society. Only the United Nations has the capacity to monitor such endeavours and reassure donors,” Jaishankar pointed out.

The minister said that even in the past, India had contributed to the humanitarian needs of the Afghan society. “Our friendship is reflected in Indian development projects in all 34 (Afghan) provinces,” Jaishankar said.

Earlier the United Nations urged the international community to raise $606 million for Afghanistan. After decades of war and suffering, Afghans are facing “perhaps their most perilous hour”, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in his opening remarks to a conference in Geneva seeking aid for Afghanistan. He said food supplies could run out by the end of this month, and the World Food Programme said 14 million people were on the brink of starvation.

Underlining Western misgivings, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet accused the Taliban of breaking promises by once more ordering women to stay at home rather than go to work, keeping teenage girls out of school, and persecuting former opponents

The US pledged nearly $64 million in new humanitarian assistance at the conference, while Norway pledged an extra $11.5 million. There are reports that Russia, New Zealand and Turkey might also send humanitarian aid. Even before the Taliban’s takeover, half the population — or 18 million people — was dependent on aid.