Act for Afghanistan

On Monday 13 September, the United Nations is holding an urgent appeal for Afghanistan. This is an opportunity for governments across the world to provide much-needed funding to help people in Afghanistan.

But our government may not contribute unless we ask them to do so.

We’re asking for $10 million in immediate, new humanitarian aid to the United Nations Afghanistan flash appeal to help communities in Afghanistan who are on the brink of a humanitarian crisis. If we can show a tide of compassion and aroha in the inboxes of the Ministers in charge of our Afghanistan response, we can create pressure for the government to step up.

Use the email template provided to send an email to Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Finance Minister Grant Robertson.

The form provides space for you to personalise your message. These messages are best when they are personal to you and offer reasons why you care about this issue. Here are some suggestions of the types of things you could adapt or copy and paste into your email:

Reasons New Zealand should provide humanitarian support

• I value our shared humanity/a global community that looks out for those in times of crisis
• As a parent / as someone caring for loved ones at this time, I know/feel compassion for the situation of those trying to provide for their loved ones.
• I believe we can step up with aroha and financial support at this time because every person should be able to access what they need and we have the capacity to contribute.
• I have donated to a humanitarian appeal for Afghanistan and I think the government should do the same.
• We have a long-standing relationship with Afghanistan and a community of over 6000 Afghan New Zealanders living here.
• New Zealand has a responsibility to support Afghanistan at this time. Our government spent many hundreds of millions in a military deployment in Afghanistan over 20 years. Our aid spending in Afghanistan has dropped off in recent years, to less than US$2 million in 2019.

• People do not have enough to eat. Almost 50% of children under five are facing acute malnutrition and need life-saving treatment.
• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) flash appeal for Afghanistan has called for $606 million dollars to assist nearly 11 million people during the four remaining months of this year. New Zealand should contribute to this.
• The current appeal for Afghanistan is only 40% funded, and that was before this latest crisis. In 2021, an estimated 16.9 million people, 42% of the population, will be in crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity.
• International humanitarian efforts are able to continue to reach those most in need amidst the political disruptions. Just last week the World Health Organisation delivered 12.5 metric tonnes of medical supplies.