UN appeals for $110M for Afghanistan quake response

The United Nations has made an urgent appeal for $110.3 million to provide life-saving assistance to more than 360,000 Afghans affected last week by a magnitude 5.9 earthquake that killed about 1,000 people, including 150 children, Report informs via VoA News.

The funding is required in the next three months to meet pressing humanitarian needs, prevent more deaths and help rebuild homes and communities shattered by the disaster.

The earthquake destroyed or damaged hundreds of homes in several districts in Paktika and Khost provinces, according to aid agencies and Taliban officials.

"I'm appealing to the world — please help. We need money. We need funding. We need support to resolve this tragedy," Ramiz Alakbarov, UN resident relief coordinator for Afghanistan, said in a video message while visiting an area in Paktika province hard hit by the earthquake.

More than half of the appealed funding, if provided by donors, will be spent on emergency shelters and non-food items, while about $35 million will go to emergency food and health care needs.

The quake response appeal is separate from the 2022 Afghanistan humanitarian appeal of $4.4 billion, the largest single-country appeal the UN has ever launched. Halfway through the year, donors have pledged less than 34% of the humanitarian appeal. With a $459.6 million commitment, the US is on top of the donor list.