Tag: Afghanistan

Humanitarian aid for Afghanistan

Support for people affected by earthquake disaster

Funding of £250,000 will be provided to aid charities responding to those affected by the devastating earthquake that struck Afghanistan in mid-October through the Humanitarian Emergency Fund (HEF).

Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF) and Christian Aid will receive funds from HEF to help hundreds of families, who have seen their homes destroyed by the earthquake and help them to rebuild their lives.

Christian Aid will support 1,550 people from 310 households, which have been affected through multi-purpose assistance while SCIAF will provide winter items to 1,050 people from 150 households, who are facing into a harsh winter after losing their homes.

International Development Minister Christina McKelvie has pledged the funding which will help thousands of people impacted by the catastrophe survive this winter where temperatures in Afghanistan can plunge to lows of -21°C.

Ms McKelvie said: “Our thoughts are with the thousands of people in Afghanistan struggling to survive and facing into an uncertain winter in the aftermath of the catastrophic earthquake that hit Herat in October.

“The damage was substantial, with over 10,000 homes completely destroyed. Seven weeks on, the task of rebuilding is a complex one that will take time.

“HEF funding will help people start to rebuild their lives and look towards 2024 with a greater sense of optimism and hope. The Scottish Government is committed to supporting our partners at HEF to provide the humanitarian aid needed to make a positive difference in Afghanistan.”

Chief Executive of SCIAF Lorraine Currie added: “SCIAF works to prevent disasters around the world – but when they do strike, we respond as soon as possible through local partners. This allows us to work quickly and effectively in some of the most challenging places on earth – like Afghanistan – ensuring we serve those most in need.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Scottish Government and the people of Scotland for this funding support.”

Christian Aid’s Country Manager for Afghanistan Subrata De said: “As we move into the colder winter months the situation for communities where homes have been damaged or destroyed remains bleak.  Resilience is very low due to the multiple challenges they are already facing including hunger and food insecurity. 

“We are grateful for the Scottish Government funding which will allow us to provide cash support, allowing people to buy the things they need like warm clothing, blankets and food. This support complements our existing and ongoing work through local partners in the Herat region.”

The Humanitarian Emergency Fund provides aid in the aftermath of a crisis. 

International charity Street Child launches ‘Education is Her Right’

International charity Street Child has launched a campaign called ‘Education Is Her Right’ which aims to fund primary school education for girls in Afghanistan.

The country faces an unprecedented humanitarian crisis and the gains made over the past two decades, particularly in advancing women’s rights, are now in jeopardy.

The children’s charity Street Child’s has made an unwavering commitment to continue working with local organisations in Afghanistan despite the monumental challenges.

The charity’s campaign will highlight that just £100 will fund a girl’s primary education for a whole year – that’s just 27p per day!

The reduction of international development assistance, which once played a pivotal role in maintaining public health and education systems, has dealt a severe blow to the ability to implement vital programmes. T

he economic downturn, skyrocketing hunger, malnutrition, and inflation triggered by global commodity shocks have further compounded the challenges faced by the Afghan people.

In July, as part of Street Child’s ‘Education is Her Right’ campaign, Street Child is delighted to announce they have an appeal on BBC Radio 4 in which will highlight the need for funding to support the charity’s work in girls’ primary education in Afghanistan. 

The appeal will be presented by Christina Lamb OBE, a British journalist and bestselling author of books such as ‘I am Malala’, ‘Farewell Kabul’, and ‘Our Bodies, Their Battlefield; What War Does to Women’. The funds raised will be channelled to our local Afghan partners who are on the ground and working hard to use every pound as effectively as possible to deliver education for young boys and girls. 

Outside of the radio appeal, Street Child’s campaign showcases its wider mission to operate in the hardest to reach areas of the world, educating girls across 25 countries. The charity’s dedicated local partners in Afghanistan are striving relentlessly to improve the lives of vulnerable communities – driven by a shared mission to provide education, protection, and livelihood support to children, women, and families caught in the grips of the longstanding conflict and recurrent natural disasters. 

Tom Dannatt, CEO and Founder of Street Child, said: “Our view, is that if you can read, write, add up and take away you have a chance in this world. If you can’t do those things, then you really don’t.

However, feeding minds is tough to think about if you haven’t put food in your mouth and you’re hungry, so every dimension of an Afghan child is under threat.

“We’re really calling on the international community, in all its manifestations to play its part in dramatically increasing quantities of aid, and for members of the public to consider how they can help. Charities like Street Child are on the ground in Afghanistan with Afghan staff and donations can and do make a difference.

“Keeping children and their families safe is the centre pillar of Street Child’s work: all children have a right to be safe and safeguarded from risks, especially those which impact their ability to attend school.”

For further information: https://street-child.org/

Granton’s Fraser scoops silver at international Veteran Games

Former Scots Guard Fraser Rowand (CORR) said he was “completely shocked” to win the silver medal in the cross-fit event at the Veteran Games in Israel.

Fraser, 41, has returned to Edinburgh after the “inspiring” event last week which brought together wounded, injured and sick veterans from across the UK and Israel.

The former Lance Corporal from Granton took up exercise to help recover from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. He struggled after leaving the Armed Forces in 2013 but started to turn his life around with help from Poppyscotland. He now works in Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory in Edinburgh.

Fraser joined a team of 60 from across the UK and competed in the swimming and cross-fit events. He was also reunited with his former platoon commander, Leo Docherty, Minister for Defence People and Veterans, who supported the Games.

Fraser said that the competition had motivated him to continue training and pursue his dream of qualifying as a personal trainer.

He said: “I was completely shocked to win the silver medal. I just went in and hoped for the best. I managed to complete all the tasks and thought it went well.

“The whole experience was unreal. Everyone was so welcoming, and we were treated like VIPs every day. There was a wonderful atmosphere, especially with support from all the families.

“It was truly inspiring to meet other veterans and humbling to learn about their experiences. Everyone had different abilities – there were people in wheelchairs, those who were blind or had other disabilities. But there was a real sense of pride in what they were doing, and they all refused to give up.

“I felt that the swimming event on Tuesday went badly and that knocked my confidence a little. But then the next day I had a fresh start in the cross-fit. It really shows what you can achieve when you put your mind to it.

“Although it was a competition, there was a real sense of camaraderie, and we were in it together. We also met professors from both countries who were there to discuss the physical and mental health aspects. There was no divide between us, and we’d all sit down together to have dinner each night. I’ve made some great friends and we’ll stay in touch.

“It’s hard to explain the powerful impact that this event had. I think it’s going to take me a few weeks to come back down from it. But it has really motivated me to move forward and continue to work at becoming a personal trainer.

Fraser, a father-of-five, travelled to Israel with his wife Susan, as well as other competitors and their families. The families also enjoyed a range of cultural excursions around Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in between events.

He also laid a wreath at the Commonwealth War Graves in Jerusalem.

Charlie Pelling, manager of Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory,said: “Congratulations to Fraser on this fantastic achievement. His commitment and motivation are truly inspiring, and this is thoroughly well deserved.

“The Veterans Games are a wonderful event that recognises the power of sport and comradeship in supporting veterans’ mental and physical health. I hope that Fraser’s story will inspire other veterans who are facing similar challenges.”

The Veteran Games was organised by Beit Halochem UK, a national charity devoted to raising awareness and funds for Israel’s wounded veterans and victims of terror. The event recognises the fundamental role played by sport and family in supporting veterans’ recovery after physical and psychological challenges.

Participants competed in a wide range of sports, while also learning how their respective countries provide care for former servicemen and women who are wounded, sick and injured. The conference also saw internationally renowned academics and mental health experts from both countries meet to discuss veterans’ health, recovery, and welfare issues.

The Games are entirely funded by philanthropic donations, with Poppyscotland providing support with travel expenses for five Scottish competitors.

Granton veteran competes in international Games in Israel

A former Scots Guard from Edinburgh, who now works in Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory, is traveling to Israel today (SATURDAY 28th MAY) to compete in the Veteran Games.

Fraser Rowand, 41, from Granton, said that exercise was a vital part of his recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He will join around 65 veterans from across the UK to take part in the international event in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem next week (Sunday 29th May – Friday 3rd June).

First held in 2019, the Veteran Games bring together wounded, injured and sick Armed Forces veterans with their Israeli counterparts who are battling similar challenges. 

Fraser, a former Lance Corporal and father-of-five, has been selected to take part in the cross-fit and swimming events. He left the Army in 2013 after more than a decade’s service but struggled to adapt to civilian life after losing close friends in Afghanistan.

He managed to turn his life around with the help of Poppyscotland and joined the team at Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory four years ago. He also started exercising in his free time and is working to qualify as a personal trainer.

Fraser said: “I didn’t realise I had PTSD until several years afterward, but I think it had always been there.  I lost three close friends in Afghanistan. It’s hard to describe what it was like out there, but you just had to get on with doing the job.

“When I left, I found it hard to settle down to a civilian job. In the Army you’re part of a big team, and you lose that when you leave. It was only through sitting down with different organisations that I was able to start working through it.

“I was very fortunate to hear about the job at Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory. It’s all set up for veterans and you’ve got that camaraderie here. I don’t know what I would have done without it.

“I’m really excited about this opportunity. I’ve never done an international competition, but I’m looking forward to competing with other veterans and meeting like-minded people.”

Fraser’s wife, Susan, will be traveling with him along with other competitors’ families. They will also have a chance to take part in social and cultural activities over the week.

The Veteran Games are organised by Beit Halochem UK, a national charity devoted to raising awareness and funds for Israel’s wounded veterans and victims of terror. The event recognises the fundamental role played by sport and family in supporting veterans’ recovery after physical and psychological challenges.

Participants compete in a wide range of sports, while also learning how their respective countries provide care for former servicemen and women who are wounded, sick and injured. 

Charlie Pelling, manager of Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory,said: “We’re delighted that Fraser has been selected to compete and wish him the best of luck.

“The Veteran Games is a wonderful initiative that recognises the important role of sport and comradeship in supporting veterans’ physical and mental health.  This is an opportunity to highlight the resilience of our Armed Forces community and raise awareness of issues facing them and their families.”

The first event of its kind, the Veteran Games and Conference is funded entirely by philanthropic donations, with Poppyscotland and Legion Scotland providing support with travel expenses for five Scottish competitors.

Events will be held at Beit Halochem’s pioneering state-of-the-art facilities, which offers rehabilitation, sports and recreation centres and lifelong care for disabled veterans and their families in Israel.

The conference will see internationally renowned academics and mental health experts from both countries meet to discuss veterans’ health, recovery, and welfare issues.

Launching the event, Leo Docherty MP, Minister for Defence People and Veterans, said: “Sport is an integral part of the rehabilitation and recovery journey for wounded veterans.

“The 2022 Veteran Games highlights how sport can provide amazing opportunities for veterans across the globe to connect, over shared experiences.

“I wish good luck to all the athletes in this year’s games and thank charities across the UK for their continued dedication and support for our disabled veterans.”

Afghanistan: Systemic failures of leadership, planning and preparation

MPs slam Government role in UK withdrawal from Afghanistan

  • Fundamental lack of planning, grip or leadership at a time of national emergency
  • No clear line of command within political leadership of Government; untraceable and unaccountable political interventions
  • Total absence of plans to evacuate Afghans who supported the UK mission without being directly employed, put lives at risk
  • Committee loses confidence in Foreign Office’s top civil servant and urges him to consider his position

In a damning report from the Foreign Affairs Committee, MPs say the Foreign Office, the National Security Advisor and Ministers must accept responsibility for the failure to prepare or respond, abandoning the UK’s allies and damaging the UK’s interests.

Missing in action: UK leadership and the withdrawal from Afghanistan is the result of the Foreign Affairs Committee’s inquiry into government policy towards the country. The Committee considered the role of the Foreign Office in the run up to withdrawal, during the evacuation effort, and in leading engagement with the new regime in the following months.

They heard from senior officials; met with Afghans who were evacuated; surveyed MPs’ offices on their efforts to help Afghans; and received written, often sensitive, evidence from a wide range of stakeholders including two Foreign Office whistleblowers. 

The MPs’ inquiry found that important policy decisions were made through informal, unaccountable means. Senior officials believed that the Prime Minister played a greater role in some decisions than has been admitted.

The Committee was not offered a plausible alternative explanation.

More seriously, the FCDO provided answers that were intentionally evasive and often deliberately misleading. Government officials should not be expected to obscure the facts to shield others from political accountability.

Today’s report refers to the ‘appalling mismanagement of the crisis’ and the misleading statements to Parliament which followed.

Those who lead the Foreign Office should be ashamed that civil servants of great integrity felt compelled to risk their careers to bring the situation to light, says the report. It is the responsibility of the Permanent Under-Secretary to ensure the system operates effectively, leading the Committee to conclude that he no longer has their confidence and should consider his position.

The UK Government must commit to a serious strategy for future engagement with Afghanistan. The failure to do so would abandon women and girls in the single biggest reversal of rights in a generation.

Today’s report calls on the Government to re-establish a diplomatic presence in Afghanistan as soon as it is safe to do so, and to work with those on the ground who can support civil society.

Attempts to isolate the new regime entirely may only hurt the Afghan people and leave a vacuum to be filled by China. The report argues that humanitarian aid alone will not be enough to avert catastrophe and that the UK should aim to resume development aid when possible, placing Afghan women at the heart of its policy towards the country. 

The Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Tom Tugendhat MP, said: ““The UK’s part in this tragedy exposes a lack of seriousness in achieving co-ordination, a lack of clear decision-making, a lack of leadership and a lack of accountability.

“At a time when we face critical foreign policy challenges, and the risks to our lives and economy are so serious, including from the current energy and inflation pressures, our diplomacy and security cannot be so confused and unstructured. Unity of purpose, clarity and coordination require serious intent and consistent political leadership. 

“The timeline of misery exposed by this report reveals serious systemic failures at the heart of the UK’s foreign policy. The absence of the FCDO’s top leadership – ministerial and official – when Kabul fell is a grave indictment on those supposedly in charge.

“While junior officials demonstrated courage and integrity, chaotic and arbitrary decision-making runs through this inquiry. Sadly, it may have cost many people the chance to leave Afghanistan, putting lives in danger.  The integrity of the Civil Service depends on those leading these organisations showing the courage to tell the truth to the British people.

“There are many heroes in this story who worked under enormous pressures. The military and civilian personnel on the ground in Afghanistan, and many in the FCDO itself, during the evacuation and those who helped from afar deserve our thanks.

“Now, Afghanistan faces a terrible humanitarian crisis with 23 million people at risk of starvation and the rights of women and girls have faced their greatest reversal in a generation. All this while the threat from extremism has grown.

“We need a serious rethink in the heart of the UK Government to combine diplomacy, aid and trade in a concerted and strategic approach to future policy towards Afghanistan.”

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MPs “ashamed” of aspects of UK withdrawal from Afghanistan

Concerns over parallels emerging in the UK’s response to Ukraine crisis

The UK Government failed to work effectively or quickly enough to provide support for aid workers and the Afghan people, says a new report from the International Development Committee – Afghanistan: UK support for aid workers and the Afghan people.

The Committee is also concerned about the pace at which the UK Government has disbursed pledged UK aid to Afghanistan and whether it will act swiftly enough to disburse pledged UK aid to Ukraine.

MPs say that the UK Government, in its response to Afghanistan and now Ukraine, has:

  • been inflexible in its response to an acute humanitarian situation by only making limited concessions to pre-existing UK immigration routes;
  • failed to provide sufficient clarity on what routes are available; and
  • dragged its feet in setting up new or variations to existing routes.

The UK Government has a moral duty towards aid workers who helped to deliver UK aid projects in Afghanistan, asserts the report.

This moral duty also extends to the people of Afghanistan, impacted over decades by the UK’s military and political interventions.

Chair of the International Development Committee, Sarah Champion MP, said: “We are deeply grateful to aid workers – be they British, Afghan or of other nationalities – for all they have done for the people of Afghanistan. The work that they do is phenomenal.

“But we are ashamed that the Government did not give them the support that they needed during the UK’s withdrawal, or now, during the complex task of delivering an aid programme under Taliban rule.

“More than 23 million people, over half the population of Afghanistan, are facing starvation. The Government must provide the support and the clarity that people working in the aid sector in Afghanistan have told us that they need.”

The Chair draws parallels with the developing situation in Ukraine. She said: “By only making limited concessions to pre-existing UK immigration routes, the response from the Home Office to the situation in Ukraine shows an inflexible and begrudging approach to an acute humanitarian situation.

“As in Afghanistan, there has been a lack of clarity – and agonizing slowness of pace – in explaining what UK immigration routes are available. The UK Government should be significantly more agile in establishing or adapting existing UK immigration routes in response to acute humanitarian crises. The safety of countless people and their families depends on it.”

UK and allied forces left Afghanistan in August 2021. The Taliban takeover was rapid. The scale of the humanitarian response required, had – to that date – been unprecedented. The humanitarian jeopardy has been extreme.

At the same time, the safety of aid workers has been compromised. Today, the cross-party Committee thanks aid workers for all their work, past and present, and reveals ‘shame’ that the UK Government has not given them the support or clarity that they need.

The Government’s contingency plans for the evacuation of aid workers from Afghanistan were neither apparent to the aid sector, nor scaled adequately. Government schemes have not adequately supported those aid workers seeking safe passage to the UK.

The report reveals that some Afghans who worked on projects funded by the UK Government are reporting that their lives are at risk of reprisals from the Taliban authorities.

The UK Government has pledged significant sums of aid since its withdrawal from Afghanistan, but the release of that aid to the people who desperately need it has been excruciatingly slow. A cash liquidity crisis is strangling the remaining life out of the country. Sanctions against the Taliban have stifled the provision of aid and women, children and minority groups are suffering disproportionately.

The Committee concludes that the Government should have worked faster to disburse the UK aid it pledged to Afghanistan in 2021. It should also have liaised more effectively and swiftly with the aid sector, international allies and financial institutions to help to resolve the challenges of sanctions to the aid sector; address the collapse of the banking system in Afghanistan; and free up the nominated funds frozen in the World Bank’s Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund.

Some of the Committee’s key recommendations in respect of aid workers and the Afghan people are:

  • The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office should take steps to better identify and assess the particular risks facing aid workers so that it can respond more effectively to those aid workers when they are in need of support in countries or regions where there is acute instability or signs of a rapidly deteriorating security situation.
  • The Government should accelerate without further delay all pathways of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and ensure that aid sector staff are explicitly recognised and prioritised for protection under the ACRS.
  • The UK Government should be taking more urgent steps to collaborate with its international counterparts, economists, representatives of the banking sector and aid organisations to find ways to help address more rapidly the banking crisis in Afghanistan to ease the humanitarian suffering of, and enable the delivery of humanitarian assistance to, the people of Afghanistan.
  • The UK Government should do more to encourage the World Bank to swiftly release the remaining funds from the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund so that aid organisations can use that money to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.
  • The Government should maintain its focus on working to try and ensure that the Taliban adopts a moderate position whereby it commits to behaving pragmatically towards the inclusion of women, girls and other minority groups in Afghan society.
  • The UK Government should further step up its efforts on working with the UN to ensure that aid organisations can effectively operate under the exemptions that UN resolution 2615 (and consequent UK law) permits. It should also urge the UN Security Council to extend those exemptions beyond their initial 12 months review period.
  • The UK Government should consult with representatives of aid organisations to ensure that it has issued adequate guidance on how to operate further to the adoption of UN resolution 2615 into UK law. Furthermore, the UK Government should press for UN resolution 2615 to be extended, or further resolutions to be adopted, to provide exemptions for development assistance, closely linked to the performance of the Taliban on upholding human rights and international law.
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“A tragedy is engulfing Afghanistan”

Both UK and Scottish Governments provide humanitarian aid

The UK Government will be releasing up to £30 million of life-saving aid to Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries to help those who choose to leave Afghanistan as part of the Government’s efforts to support regional stability.

£10 million will be made available immediately to humanitarian partners, such as the UNHCR, to enable essential supplies such as shelters to be despatched to the Afghan borders as well as setting up sanitation and hygiene facilities.

A further £20 million will be allocated to countries that experience a significant increase in refugees to support reception and registration facilities and provide essential services and supplies.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: “It is vital that we help those fleeing Afghanistan and do not allow the crisis there to undermine regional stability.

“That’s why these life-saving supplies are so important. They will provide Afghans who have left everything behind with essential kit offering shelter and basic sanitation as they seek to pick up the pieces of their lives. This aid demonstrates the UK’s commitment to shoulder our humanitarian responsibility and support those countries who will face the greatest demands for those displaced.”

This is the first tranche of the additional funding, announced by the Prime Minister in response to the crisis when he doubled the UK’s aid contribution to Afghanistan to £286 million this year.

The security and political instability in Afghanistan has compounded an already dire humanitarian situation for the Afghan population with 550,000 people displaced within Afghanistan since the start of the year and significant increases in refugees moving across Afghanistan’s borders in recent weeks.

The UNHCR estimates a worst case scenario of over 500,000 refugees fleeing the country to Pakistan, Tajikistan, Iran, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan in the coming months.

The disbursement of aid comes as the Foreign Secretary continues his visit to the region for talks on Afghanistan with the focus on securing safe passage for UK nationals and eligible Afghans as well as the Government’s four international priorities – preventing Afghanistan becoming a haven for terrorists; responding to the humanitarian plight; safeguarding regional stability; and holding the Taliban to account on human rights.

  • The UK announced the uplift in aid to Afghanistan on 18 August 2021, bringing UK funding for this year to £286 million here.
  • The UK’s total aid contribution to the country since 2001 is now around £3.5 billion.

Scotland commits £250,000 for urgent aid

Critical help for the people of Afghanistan worth £250,000 is to be made available from the Scottish Government’s Humanitarian Emergency Fund (HEF).

External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson, who led a Hplyrood debate yesterday on the humanitarian and human rights crisis in Afghanistan, said the funds will be dedicated to aid those in peril and need.

The Scottish Government is in close contact with the charities involved in the HEF to determine how support can be delivered safely and effectively.

The announcement follows the commitment by the Scottish Government to play its full part in the resettlement of Afghan refugees.

The Scottish Government also continues to call on the UK Government to provide further details of the Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme as soon as possible.

Mr Robertson said: “We have all been moved by the current crisis in Afghanistan and stand ready to help those in need at this critical time.

“We have activated the Scottish Government’s Humanitarian Emergency Fund and this £250,000 will provide crucial help to those desperately in need in the midst of this harrowing crisis. And this is additional to the financial commitment the Scottish people already make to the UK’s aid budget through tax contributions.

“The UK Government has said that its aid to Afghanistan will be doubled, and that is a step in the right direction – but ultimately amounts to nothing more than a reversal of previous major cuts to aid to Afghanistan.

“A tragedy is engulfing Afghanistan. We are ready and willing to play our part – Scotland will not only provide humanitarian assistance, but is committed to playing a full role in assisting, and welcoming, the resettlement and relocation of Afghans at risk.”

‘Operation Warm Welcome’ underway to support Afghan arrivals in the UK

Arrivals under Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy will be given immediate indefinite leave to remain, alongside funding for school places and healthcare

A significant cross-government effort, dubbed ‘Operation Warm Welcome’, is underway to ensure Afghans arriving in the UK receive the vital support they need to rebuild their lives, find work, pursue education and integrate into their local communities.

As part of the New Plan for Immigration, the government announced that those coming to the UK through resettlement routes would receive immediate indefinite leave to remain, and today (September 1) the Home Secretary has announced that this will apply to Afghans who worked closely with the British military and UK Government in Afghanistan, and risked their lives in doing so, meaning they can now stay in the UK without any time restrictions.

People already relocated to the UK under the Afghanistan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) will be able to apply free of charge to convert their temporary leave into indefinite leave. This will give Afghans the certainty and stability to rebuild their lives with unrestricted rights to work and the option to apply for British citizenship in the future.

To give children and young adults the best start in life the government is making at least £12 million available to prioritise additional school places so children can be enrolled as soon as possible, and to provide school transport, specialist teachers and English language support to assist with learning.

Further funding will be provided for up to 300 undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships for Afghans at UK universities and adults will also be able to access English language courses free of charge. While many will speak English through their work with the UK Government and British Forces, and as translators, language classes will ensure all their family members can fully integrate into their local communities.

Families who need support navigating the system will also have access to liaison officers who can work with local authorities to help them get set up with a GP, National Insurance number, school place, accommodation and more tailored support, as required.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “We owe an immense debt to those who worked with the Armed Forces in Afghanistan and I am determined that we give them and their families the support they need to rebuild their lives here in the UK.

“I know this will be an incredibly daunting time, but I hope they will take heart from the wave of support and generosity already expressed by the British public.”

The support for Afghan arrivals follows the largest and most complex evacuation in living memory. It includes:

  • £3 million of additional NHS funding so that Afghans arriving under the Afghanistan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme can access healthcare and register with a GP once they leave quarantine;
  • all are being offered the COVID-19 vaccine and so far more than 700 arrivals under the ARAP scheme have left quarantine and received their first vaccination, with more leaving and receiving a jab each day;
  • £5 million funding for councils in England, Wales and Scotland to support Afghans coming to the UK via the ARAP scheme and provide a top up to help meet the costs of renting properties;
  • the government is already working with more than 100 councils across the UK to meet the demand for housing, with over 2,000 places already confirmed;
  • the Communities Secretary will convene a roundtable with council leaders from across the country in the coming days;
  • to harness the generosity of the British public and make sure those who want to help know where to turn we will launch an online portal to allow people to submit offers of support for people arriving from Afghanistan;
  • this portal is already available to submit offers of housing and work is now underway to expand this to further offers, such as job opportunities, professional skills training or donations of items like clothes or toys; and
  • £200 million has been committed to meet the cost of the first year of the Afghanistan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme, which aims to welcome up to 20,000 Afghans.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “We owe a great deal to the brave Afghans who worked alongside us and we want to make sure they have certainty and stability to be able to thrive in the UK.

“As part of the New Plan for Immigration, I committed to providing refugees who make their home here the ability to rebuild their lives in the UK with essential support to integrate into the community, learn English, and become self-sufficient.

“By providing immediate indefinite leave to remain we are ensuring that those who have fled their homes have every opportunity to look to the future with stability and security and make a success of their new life in the UK.

Afghan Resettlement Minister Victoria Atkins said: Operation Warm Welcome is a huge effort across government to make sure that those fleeing Afghanistan are able to make a success of a new life in the UK.

“The stability of indefinite leave, the security of access to healthcare and the opportunity of education are the foundation upon which those resettled to the UK can build.”

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “This support package will help Afghan evacuees start a new life in the UK and I’m proud we are providing £3 million to ensure they receive the healthcare they need.

“This includes access to prescriptions, wound care and dressings, maternity care, mental health support and screening for infectious diseases. We will also offer the protection of a COVID-19 vaccination as they settle and rebuild.”

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will face Westminister’s Foreign Affairs Select Committee today to answer questions over the evacuation programme.

MSP urges UK Government to house Afghan refugees in empty MoD homes at Redford Barracks

SNP MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Gordon MacDonald, is urging the UK Government to use the 160 unused homes, formerly used as accommodation for MoD staff, to house refugees fleeing the situation in Afghanistan.

Edinburgh Council leader, Adam McVey, recently wrote to the UK Government calling for an increase in the number of Afghan refugees the UK should be welcoming and Gordon MacDonald has said “there is a clear opportunity here to use the empty MoD houses to house these refugee families in the Capital.”

The homes, which are mostly situated around Redford Barracks, have been left empty for numerous years and the local MSP has repeatedly called for action to bring this vacant housing into use. MacDonald has said “it’s not right that these homes lie empty and it is in the gift of the UK government to put them to good use.”

Earlier this year it was revealed that nearly 11,000 MoD homes were empty across the UK, with 900 unused in Scotland.

SNP MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Gordon MacDonald, said: “For years now, I have been doing everything I can to get the empty MoD homes in my constituency – and right across Scotland – to be used to help people whose lives would benefit immensely from being housed in the properties.

“Yet again, we see another example where the UK government could make the most of the hundreds of empty properties across our country.  

“The situation in Afghanistan is truly horrific. The refugees are fleeing a horrific situation and we need to be doing everything we can to accept our responsibility and help those who arrive in this country.

“In Edinburgh, we are ready to accept and welcome Afghan families – and as we currently have around 160 homes that are still owned by the MoD but no one has lived in them for at least five years, it seems like a missed opportunity to not use this housing to house refugees in safe and warm homes where they can start to rebuild their lives.

“Boris Johnson should commit to maximising these unused sites like the one at Redford Barracks to allow the UK to take in more refugees, who have had their lives turned upside down, and take responsibility for the situation.”

MPs to grill Foreign Secretary over Afghanistan evacuation

Westminster’s Foreign Affairs Committee is to hold an evidence session on the UK’s evacuation of people from Afghanistan, following the Taliban’s seizure of power. MPs will have the opportunity to question Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab at the session which takes place on Wednesday (1 September) at 2.00pm.

The Taliban took control of Kabul on 15 August.

The Foreign Secretary has said that: “Afghanistan must never again be used as a base for terrorist attacks against the West or any other country.

“We will have to address the looming humanitarian crisis in the country, which would also threaten regional stability, and strive to secure a more inclusive Afghan government that can maintain stability and avoid the kind of human rights abuses that the Taliban have committed before, particularly against women.

“We will use all of the levers at our disposal, including sanctions, aid and access to the international finance system, and we are rallying our international partners around these shared priorities.”

Members of the Committee are likely to question the Foreign Secretary on issues such as:

  • Progress on the effort to evacuate UK nationals and others eligible for relocation;
  • The security, humanitarian and human rights impacts of the Taliban takeover;
  • The use of levers such as sanctions and aid to pressure the Taliban.

Announcing the evidence session, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Tugendhat MP, said: “The last two weeks have been tough for so many of us: anger, shame, even incredulity.

“We never thought we would see the day NATO forces, led by the US, would turn their backs on the people of Afghanistan. It is the biggest foreign policy failure since Suez and highlights once again the importance of building up networks of allies, not having a single partner.

“Many of those raw emotions have now turned to questions on the future of UK foreign policy. How will we deal with the Taliban? How will Afghanistan shape our regional strategy? How will the Government hold the Taliban to account for reverses in human rights?

“These questions, and so many others, will be put to the Foreign Secretary this week.”