Interview: UN refugee agency official says China's contribution helps alleviate dire situation in Afghanistan

BANGKOK, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- The resources provided by China to Afghanistan are helping the internally displaced Afghans to weather the harsh winter and COVID-19 pandemic, while China's engagement in political levels would facilitate a long-term solution to the situation after the hurried withdrawal of U.S. forces and its allies, a senior official of the UN refugee agency has said.

Due to the conflict following the withdrawal of U.S.-led NATO forces from Afghanistan, some 3.5 million Afghan people remain displaced, 80 percent of whom are women and children that have been dependent on life-saving humanitarian aids, said Indrika Ratwatte, director for Asia and the Pacific of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) based in Bangkok.

"It's a very, very dire situation in terms of the humanitarian needs," he told Xinhua in an exclusive interview recently.

The displaced population are facing a harsh winter in Afghanistan since November last year which is expected to last till late February or early March. "Even when the snow starts melting, temperature in some areas could go as low as minus 20 to 25 degrees Celsius," he said.

There are also challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, as only 10 percent of the Afghan population have been fully vaccinated, which means vaccines, syringes and protecting equipment donated by the Chinese government were "very helpful".

In the interview via video link, Ratwatte expressed concerns over the poor health infrastructure in the country's rural areas, making such donations fundamental to the immunizations of the population.

"As we all know, with the new variant keeps spreading around, unless everybody is inoculated, nobody is actually safe," he said, adding that China has rolled out vaccination domestically in a successful manner.

Ratwatte said the UNHCR has put in extra efforts for Afghanistan, but as the coping mechanisms are being stressed out, more assistance is needed.

In January, the UN refugee agency launched a 4.4-billion-U.S.-dollar aid appeal for Afghanistan in its largest-ever humanitarian appeal for a country, according to Ratwatte.

He said China's increasing support and contribution to the UNHCR and other relief efforts through both bilateral and multilateral avenues are much welcomed.

According to the UNHCR data, China has been one of the public sector donors contributing at least 20 percent above the 2020 levels during 2021. The country's contribution raised from 1.77 million U.S. dollars in 2020 to 5.33 million dollars in 2021.

China donated a batch of core relief supplies through the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund in cooperation with UNHCR, which arrived in Afghanistan in November and helped the displaced people, returnees and host communities in Afghanistan brace the harsh winter.

"We do appreciate the increase in the Chinese government's contribution to UNHCR," he said. "We would obviously welcome the Chinese government to consider its multilateral support as well for UNHCR and continuing its bilateral support."

Ratwatte also pointed out China's contribution to improving the situation in Afghanistan went beyond providing medical and humanitarian resources. "We do appreciate very much what China has done, not just in terms of resources, but also trying to engage at the political level in Afghanistan to find solutions," he said.

"While resources are very important, obviously the engagement at a political level is appreciated to find solutions for refugees because that's what we all want to have at the end of the day," he said.

Ratwatte noted that priorities remain to ensure the 38 million people in Afghanistan to get dire support so that they could have a life, dignity and resilience. He called for the international community to come together and demonstrate the political will and ability to address key issues facing the Afghan people, including the funding of public services, health care and education.

"These are also very important things to be unblocked at a political level, and require resources to be devoted," he said.