The Scottish Government, working with charity partners, is committing an extra £250,000 towards humanitarian aid for Afghanistan, as politicians in Holyrood discuss the crisis.
The additional funds are being made available from the government’s Humanitarian Emergency Fund (HEF) which is administered in cooperation with eight aid organisations in Scotland including Oxfam, Save the Children, and the Red Cross.
“A tragedy is engulfing Afghanistan. We are ready and willing to play our part” says Angus Robertson, Cabinet Secretary for External Affairs.
“Scotland will not only provide humanitarian assistance, but is committed to playing a full role in assisting, and welcoming, the resettlement and relocation of Afghans at risk.”
The UK Government has already committed to doubling its aid to Afghanistan, and the Scottish Government’s contribution through HEF comes on top of that.
“This £250,000 will provide crucial help to those desperately in need in the midst of this harrowing crisis” says Robertson.
MSPs are due to hold a debate on the crisis in Afghanistan on Thursday, and ahead of that, as we previously reported, Angus Robertson and Jenny Gilruth met with members of the Afghan community in Scotland, local authority representatives, and the Scottish Refugee Council to discuss the needs of newly arrived refugees fleeing the Taliban.
Positive response to refugee crisis from across our region
Tens of thousands of Afghans were airlifted out of Kabul as the 31 August deadline to withdraw foreign troops from the country approached, and Taliban forces recaptured the Afghan capital city.
Around 3,000 people and 600 families will be given refuge in the UK by the end of this month, and there’s already been a positive response in our region.
The first families from Afghanistan have arrived safely in Aberdeenshire as part of the humanitarian effort to shelter those fleeing their country.
Aberdeenshire Council is pledging to do “all it can” to support more families through the various relocation schemes being operated by the British Government, including for people who worked closely with UK forces or the British Embassy in Afghanistan and their families.
Moray Council also recently confirmed they were ready to accept refugees, with council leader Graham Leadbitter describing the situation in Afghanistan as “deeply distressing.”
He said: “We must stand ready to offer support and work with other councils to ensure that refugees can be offered resettlement places throughout Scotland and the UK as quickly as we can practically do that.
“There is no time to waste.”