Ambassador John R. Bass visited Herat today where he met with Herat Provincial Governor Abdul Qaiyoum Rahimi, Badghis Provincial Governor Abdul Ghafoor Malakzai, local civil society activists, UN agencies, NGOs, and displaced Afghans based in Herat. They discussed the needs of internally displaced persons in Herat and Badghis provinces, as well as the United States’ continued support for peace in Afghanistan.
The United States supports a number of economic and development projects, as well as provides humanitarian assistance to Afghans in need in Herat Province. Projects include support for agricultural development, local governance, education, gender issues, health, food, and water infrastructure. On March 1, 2019, the United States contributed $1 million to the Norwegian Refugee Council to fund a program to protect vulnerable Afghans, including internally displaced persons and returnees, in Badghis, Herat, and Nimroz Provinces. The goal of the program is to reduce affected Afghan communities’ exposure to abuse and to better equip them to pursue dignified solutions to address the consequences of displacement.
The United States is the largest humanitarian assistance donor in Afghanistan, providing over $228 million in FY 2018. In addition, the United States announced more than $61 million in additional funding today, bringing the total FY 2019 contribution to more than $65 million. This funding includes water, improved sanitation, shelter, relief supplies, food, repatriation and reintegration, livelihoods opportunities, nutrition, protection, and health services for returnees and people displaced by natural disasters, drought, and conflict.
