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September 28, 2001 US CONTRIBUTIONS FOR AFGHAN PEOPLE
The United States this week pledged an additional $2.5 million to two Geneva-based relief organizations for their programs for Afghanistan and Afghan refugees and announced plans to ship 175,000 tons of wheat to the region. The new relief funding will be provided by the Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM). James B. Foley, Chargé d'Affaires, U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, confirmed the US government contributions in letters to agency heads. The contributions are allocated as follows: -- $2,000,000 for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees to fund programs that provide shelter, water and sanitation, healthcare, and the positioning of aid stockpiles for Afghan refugees living in the region surrounding Afghanistan. These funds are contributed in response to UNHCR's urgent appeal of September 20. It should be noted that these funds are in addition to the $2 million pledged by the United States on September 10 for Afghans of concern to UNHCR. Over the past month, a total of $4 million has been made available for Afghan refugees living in the region surrounding Afghanistan. --$500,000 for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs for programs to coordinate basic assistance to Afghan refugees in the region surrounding Afghanistan. The United States has also announced that it is sending 175,000 tons of wheat to aid vulnerable Afghans either in Afghanistan or Pakistan. Funded by USDA and USAID, the food is scheduled to arrive in the region in various stages from October through December. The current pledges were made in advance of the new United Nations appeal for $580 million dollars, presented to donor states at the Afghan Support Group, which met this week in Berlin to discuss the current situation. Alan J. Kreczko, Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, led the US delegation to that meeting, which was attended by major donor states, aid agencies and countries which host Afghan refugees. The United States strongly supports the efforts by the UN to prepare for possible refugee outflows and urges neighboring countries to develop or review plans for dealing with this. The US Government and other donors will respond to the UN appeal, and assure Afghanistan's neighboring countries that we and the international community will meet the needs. "The United States is deeply concerned about the plight of the Afghan people," said James B. Foley, Chargé d'Affaires, at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva. "We are working closely with other donor states, host countries, and aid agencies to ensure that a coordinated strategy to respond to the current crisis is in place. We anticipate that new pledges will be made in the near future." (End text)
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