New Delhi: Leaders of the G-20 group in a virtual summit on Tuesday pledged to provide aid to the people of Afghanistan in a bid to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in the war-torn country.
They however, stressed that the Taliban will be judged on their deeds and they must guarantee the full access to humanitarian assistance by all those in need, wherever they live in Afghanistan.
The summit was hosted by Italy on Tuesday. Some members of the summit cited that provision of aid didn’t indicate recognition of the “Taliban” government. Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, said that her country is not ready to recognise the “Taliban”.
According to her, the Taliban have not met the international measures and expectations of the world, the report said.
The US said that it would provide donations through aid organizations to the people of Afghanistan. Addressing the summit, US President Joe Biden also expressed concerns over the presence of armed groups such as ISIS-K or so-called Daesh group in Afghanistan.
The European Union pledged to provide one million Euro in support of humanitarian donation to the country. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the international community emphasized the preservation of human rights, particularly the rights of girls and women.
He later tweeted: “I spoke with G20 leaders about the situation in Afghanistan. The global community is committed to the protection of human rights, including of women & girls, and we’ll continue to use our voices to make sure Afghans have access to humanitarian assistance being provided.
“Canada is welcoming 40,000 refugees and we’re urging others to step up their support to safely resettle refugees, too,” Trudeau added.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India had stressed on the need to prevent Afghan territory from becoming the source of radicalization and terrorism.
“A unified international response based on UNSC Resolution 2593 is necessary to improve the situation in Afghanistan,” Modi said.
He later tweeted: “Also called for urgent and unhindered humanitarian assistance to Afghan citizens and an inclusive administration.”
The summit was not attended by the Presidents of China and Russia. This comes as earlier, the UN and humanitarian organizations had warned of triggering a severe humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
The Chair’s summary highlighted some lines of action for the G20 on Afghanistan:
• The G20 will play an advocacy role within the international community to fully support UN activities and respond to UN appeals on humanitarian assistance.
• The G20 strongly supports the presence of UNAMA in Afghanistan in carrying out its mandate, including its role of coordination of international aid.
• The G20 calls on the Afghan authorities to ensure the safety, security and freedom of movement of all UN and associated personnel, as well as all the Diplomatic Missions staff and humanitarian workers.
• G20 countries strongly call on the Taliban to rescind their links with terrorist groups and tackle their presence on Afghan soil.
• The G20 will advocate international support to the UNODC strategy to eradicate the production of narcotics in Afghanistan and provide counter terrorism assistance.
• The G20 will continue supporting Afghan women and girls both in their immediate needs and to enable them to contribute to a durable peace and an inclusive development to the benefit of all Afghans.
• Specific actions and funding targets in humanitarian assistance should be focused on programs in favour of women and girls.
• The G20 urges the Taliban to fully respect their own commitment to allow safe passage to Afghans who wish to leave.
• Solutions must be identified to guarantee the provision of basic services – in particular in education and health
•The G20 recalls the importance of avoiding any action that could undermine Afghanistan’s cultural heritage, in particular its destruction and illicit trafficking, and calls for its preservation.