GENEVA—The Philippines announced a voluntary contribution of $100,000 to support the humanitarian response in Afghanistan, during a pledging conference organized by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Permanent Representative Evan P. Garcia, speaking on behalf of the Philippines during the virtual Afghanistan Conference 2022: High-level Pledging Event on Supporting the Humanitarian Response in Afghanistan, expressed the country’s solidarity with the Afghan people and commitment to support international programs in responding to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
Highlighting the Philippines’s time-honored tradition of providing assistance to those in need, Garcia recalled that last year, the country not only donated to the Afghanistan Flash Appeal 2021 through the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund, but also welcomed Afghan refugees.
“This is in line with our strong belief that we must open our doors to those fleeing their homelands because of fear of persecution,“ the Filipino envoy stated.
Garcia endorsed scaled-up support for socioeconomic assistance for refugees and other persons of concern, then called for concerted efforts of states to address climate and disaster-related displacement.
The Afghanistan pledge is consistent with the Philippines’s resolve to offer assistance to those in need. President Duterte emphasized during the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly last year that “the [country] has limited resources during these extraordinary times, but what we can do for humanity and to uplift human dignity, we will.”