“Afghan women and girls are bravely calling for their freedom, dignity and education. Global leaders must stand with them."
Co-hosted by Germany, Qatar and the U.K, today’s United Nations high-level pledging conference aimed to raise $4.4 billion for Afghanistan. The funding would go to support and scale emergency humanitarian efforts, with $162m allocated for education, mainly focusing on primary. The resulting commitments were only half of what is needed.
"Leaders at today’s Humanitarian Response Plan conference had the chance today to deliver the humanitarian aid needed to support a better future for Afghanistan — but they missed the mark. The Afghan people should not have to suffer the consequences of the Taliban’s choices. Women’s rights are reversing, people are starving and the education system is collapsing,” says Malala Yousafzai, Co-founder and Board Chair. “Afghan women and girls are bravely calling for their freedom, dignity and education. Global leaders must stand with them. I urge all leaders to reconsider their priorities and provide the humanitarian funding needed to protect the futures of the Afghan people."