<h6><strong>The Diplomat</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, through the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), has responded with an initial contribution of half a million euros to the call for international aid to combat the crisis in Afghanistan following the devastating magnitude 6 earthquake that struck the Asian country on September 1.</strong></h4> According to the Ministry in a press release, this contribution will be channeled through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, in collaboration with the Afghan Red Crescent Society, and will be used to fund this organization's emergency appeal. "Afghanistan is one of the main destinations for AECID humanitarian aid. The country is immersed in a complex humanitarian crisis, with a profound deterioration in the situation in recent years, which particularly affects the areas of food security and health, as well as the rights of women and girls," stated Minister José Manuel Albares. Last Tuesday, Albares expressed his “deep dismay” over the “terrible earthquake” of magnitude six on the Richter scale “that shook the Kunar province of Afghanistan” and offered his “condolences to the families of the more than 1,400 dead. Our solidarity with the thousands of injured and the Afghan people in this difficult time.” The earthquake struck on Sunday night in the Hindu Kush mountainous area, near the capital, Kabul, and close to the border with Pakistan, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The epicenter was located approximately 42 kilometers northeast of Jalalabad and at a depth of approximately eight kilometers. The tremors were felt strongly in Kabul and several nearby cities in Pakistan, including the capital, Islamabad. <h5><strong>Aid to Afghanistan</strong></h5> According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the situation caused by the earthquake is worsening due to the return of more than 2.4 million Afghan refugees and asylum seekers from neighboring countries, who are facing extremely precarious situations. Since 2021, the AECID has contributed €20.29 million to improve the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, primarily through the main United Nations humanitarian agencies and the Red Cross Movement. "These contributions seek to support interventions that, among other objectives, promote gender equality and strengthen education, supporting girls and adolescents' access to and retention in the education system," Albares stated. Contributions have continued over the past five years, and in 2024, AECID channeled up to €5.5 million through the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNHCR, and the Afghanistan Common Fund of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
