ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday urged the world community to renew developmental partnerships with Afghanistan by supporting nation-building and meet the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people, as “peace cannot consolidate unless Afghanistan is provided the necessary economic and fiscal space.”

Qureshi sated this while addressing a “High-level Ministerial Meeting on the Humanitarian Situation in Afghanistan” held in Geneva in a hybrid format. The meeting was hosted by UN Secretary-General António Guterres with participation of heads of various UN agencies including OCHA, UNICEF, WFP, UNFPA, UNHCR, and the ICRC. The meeting was also attended by a number of ministers from various countries including, Switzerland, Qatar, Germany, UK, US, Turkey, and France.

In his video address, Foreign Minister Qureshi called upon the international community for sustained engagement with Afghanistan. “Today’s Afghanistan represents an important opportunity as it begins its journey towards sustainable peace and development. The recurring cycles of conflict and instability during the last four decades can finally be stopped,” he said.

He said that the challenges are daunting and the situation is becoming dire for around 18 million people of Afghanistan – directly in need of humanitarian assistance. “A sluggish response from the international community can cause grave humanitarian consequences,” he warned. “Solidarity must be shown with the Afghan people at this pivotal juncture, both in terms of financial and political support,” he said, adding that it is time to renew developmental partnerships, support nation-building, and meet the humanitarian needs of the Afghan population. He said that durable solutions require scaling up of developmental interventions, provision of livelihood opportunities, and ensuring of access to basic necessities such as food, health and education for the Afghan people. Whilst we focus on the humanitarian situation inside Afghanistan, he added that we must not forget millions of Afghans in large refugee-hosting countries, for whom the international support has dwindled over the years.

In line with the principle of international responsibility and burden sharing, host communities must be supported especially during these challenging times of Covid-19, he added. On its part, he added that Pakistan has been supporting the humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan in several ways, including by facilitating the evacuation and relocation of international staff, and establishment of a humanitarian corridor for the delivery of relief goods through air and land routes. “We are already airlifting humanitarian assistance comprising food and medicines to Afghanistan, which will be followed by supplies through land routes as well,” he said.

He further stated that Pakistan continues to host more than three million Afghans refugees, for over four decades. Over the years, we have also earmarked over one billion US dollars for a range of development projects in Afghanistan, he added. “We reaffirm our commitment today to support the provision of humanitarian relief to the Afghan people under UN umbrella, as well as the continuity of our in-kind assistance to Afghanistan. We will also continue to facilitate the UN in its humanitarian relief efforts by providing logistical and other support through Pakistan,” he added.

Qureshi said that ensuring sustainable development and promoting respect for human rights require political stability and peace in Afghanistan. “And peace cannot consolidate unless Afghanistan is provided the necessary economic and fiscal space,” he asserted.

“Past mistakes must not be repeated. The Afghan people must not be abandoned. It is essential to take a long-term view and adopt a pragmatic approach,” Qureshi said, adding that sustained engagement with Afghanistan, especially for meeting its humanitarian needs, is indispensable.

He said that Pakistan also appreciates the leadership shown by the UN secretary-general on this account, and the UN agencies playing a leading role in ensuring humanitarian supplies.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021