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The European Union has allocated 150,000 (over 11 million Afghan Afghanis) to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to families affected by the extreme cold temperatures that hit Afghanistan in early March.

This EU funding was channelled through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help deliver vital relief items to around 11,200 people in some of the most affected provinces, including Badghis and Kunduz. They included warm clothes and footwear; multipurpose cash grants to help the most affected people meet their daily basic needs; as well as kits containing menstrual pads, soap, underwear, toothpaste and toothbrush, and other essential hygiene items for women and girls.

The funding is part of the EUs overall contribution to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the IFRC.

At least 70 people died and more than 14,000 were affected in several high-altitude provinces in Afghanistan that experienced heavy snowfall and extreme cold temperatures since the beginning of March. With temperatures plummeting to as low as minus 33 degrees Celsius, over 70,000 livestock perished, stripping households of their source of income. The snow also damaged nearly 1,500 homes and blocked main traffic roads, making it difficult for people to travel to buy their necessities.

Background

The European Union and its Member States are the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity with people in need all around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and man-made crises.

Through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department, the European Union helps millions of victims of conflict and disasters every year. With headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, the European Union provides assistance to the most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs.

The European Union is signatory to a 8 million humanitarian delegation agreement with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to support the Federation's Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF). Funds from the DREF are mainly allocated to small-scale disasters those that do not give rise to a formal international appeal.

The Disaster Response Emergency Fund was established in 1979 and is supported by contributions from donors. Each time a National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society needs immediate financial support to respond to a disaster, it can request funds from the DREF. For small-scale disasters, the IFRC allocates grants from the Fund, which can then be replenished by the donors. The delegation agreement between the IFRC and ECHO enables the latter to replenish the DREF for agreed operations (that fit within its humanitarian mandate) up to a total of 8 million.

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European Union support to relief victims of cold wave in Afghanistan - EEAS