US provided nearly $60 mn to Pakistan for humanitarian assistance in 2022

The United States provided about USD 60 million in humanitarian assistance for Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Pakistani host communities during 2022, the US ambassador said on Thursday.

"In Fiscal Year 2022 alone, the US provided nearly USD 60 million (more than PakRs 13 billion) in assistance to the refugees and their host communities, the US embassy here said in a statement, quoting ambassador Donald Blome.

He also said that the United States has provided more than USD 273 million (nearly PakRs 62 billion) since 2002 for the Afghan refugees and thanked Pakistan for "generously hosting Afghan refugees for more than four decades."

This US assistance is increasing school enrolment for Afghan and Pakistani children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan; improving Pakistani healthcare services and boosting nutrition programs in areas hosting Afghans; promoting livelihood activities for refugees and host communities; improving water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure; and supporting recovery from the health and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the embassy statement.

With US funding, UNICEF also helped families access essential health, nutrition, water, sanitation, and hygiene services in 70 health facilities, and provided nearly 50,000 mothers and close to 110,000 children with preventative and curative nutrition services, the embassy said.

Pakistan has been hosting nearly 3 million Afghan refugees, almost half of them living illegally while the other half have special cards to live and work.

Most of the Afghan refugees were displaced in the 1980s during Russian intervention in the country.