China, UNHCR distribute humanitarian supplies to Afghanistan

KABUL, May 10 (Xinhua) -- A batch of humanitarian supplies, provided by China's South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund in cooperation with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), have been distributed in Afghanistan on Monday.

Speaking at the distribution ceremony held in the Afghan capital Kabul, Economic and Commercial Counselor of the Chinese embassy in Afghanistan Hu Guo'ai said China and Afghanistan are friendly neighbors linked by mountains and rivers, with exchanges between the two countries dating back to more than 1,000 years ago. The Chinese government has been highly concerned about the Afghan people who are suffering from a humanitarian crisis, and has continuously provided them with humanitarian assistance such as food, clothing, vaccines, tents and medicines.

China's South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund provided funds for buying emergency relief supplies and supporting local education for vulnerable groups in Afghanistan. The batch of supplies purchased and distributed by the UNHCR includes kitchenware, blankets and gas tanks, the counselor said.

All the supplies have been distributed all over Afghanistan, Hu said, adding the needy Afghans will get relief with the supplies.

Kari, the representative of the recipient party and head of the Kabul Education Department, expressed his sincere gratitude to China for its long-term assistance to Afghanistan.

Kari noted that China's assistance has greatly improved the learning conditions of Afghan students and will inspire them to study with more enthusiasm.

Some 19.7 million Afghans were facing acute hunger, according to an analysis conducted in January and February by Food Security and Agriculture Cluster partners, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and many non-governmental organizations.

The FAO and the WFP said on Tuesday that they have provided humanitarian assistance to millions of people in Afghanistan, and are scaling up their programs to assist and support needy families.