Politics

EU urges continued aid to Afghanistan as senior officials convene in Brussels

European Union officials and international partners gathered in Brussels on Monday for the Senior Officials Meeting on Afghanistan, emphasizing the urgent need to sustain humanitarian aid to avert further crisis in the country.

“Humanitarian assistance has so far prevented catastrophe,” said Andreas Papaconstantinou, Director of ECHO’s Neighborhood, Middle East, South-West and Central Asia division, in a post on social media platform X. “Life-saving gains obtained in the past should not be lost. Donors must step up their contributions. The EU will do its part.”

The two-day Senior Officials Meeting, hosted by the European External Action Service, brought together representatives from all E.U. member states as well as the United States, Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and others. Mary Bischoping, US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Afghanistan, and political representatives from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) also joined the discussions.

The agenda centers on Afghanistan’s worsening humanitarian situation and the ongoing political impasse under Taliban rule. The meeting, which began at 9 a.m. Brussels time, continues into Tuesday.

At last year’s session, donors pledged more than $840 million in aid to Afghanistan. Organizers say maintaining and scaling up such contributions is critical amid ongoing economic collapse and broad restrictions on women’s rights in the country.