UK Must Act on Afghanistan, New PM Told

Monday August 15 2022

International development charity, Christian Aid, has challenged the next Prime Minister to end the UK government’s 'drift and delay' on Afghanistan.

To mark one year since Taliban forces overthrew the elected government, Christian Aid says it is essential that whoever becomes UK prime minister must act to prevent the current dire situation in Afghanistan turning into a humanitarian disaster - driven mainly by soaring food and fuel prices from the war in Ukraine.

Subrata De, Christian Aid's Afghanistan Country Manager, said: “The local authorities have demonstrated their priorities in the last 12 months by restricting women’s movement and enforcing female dress codes rather than saving lives from hunger. But the international community also needs to reflect on the sanctions it has imposed - who are we ultimately punishing and at what cost to ordinary Afghans?”

Fionna Smyth, Head of Global Advocacy and Policy, said: "We have no illusions about the Taliban rulers but the Afghan people cannot be abandoned to their fate. They did not vote for the Taliban and, even if the Taliban control the country, that must not stop us trying to help people make a living and giving them hope for a future free from hunger. 

“Christian Aid is already delivering programmes to provide livelihoods and water and sanitation but no NGO can do the job of the Government. Conditions are becoming even more desperate with the price of food and fuel rising due the impact of the war in Ukraine. Those needs are going to grow as summer ends and we approach winter.

“That is why the UK government, alongside its international allies, need to do far more to support the economy to get back on its feed and advocate for the rights of women and girls who are being erased from public life."

September's Life and Work is out now.

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