The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has watched with grave concern the rapidly deteriorating conditions in Afghanistan in recent weeks. These events are already inflicting very serious consequences on the Afghan people, both within the country and beyond. The impact of these consequences is only likely to grow in the coming months.
As a child health organisation, we are particularly concerned by the threat to women and girls. It is imperative that their right to safety, education and dignity are upheld. These are concerns also in the UK.
The United Kingdom has a clear responsibility to be in the vanguard of the international response in Afghanistan, given its role in the allied intervention since 2001.
Significant investments in the development of health services over the last 20 years – such as the extension of primary health centres – and the progress made in child health in Afghanistan must not be squandered. The UK Government must ensure those working on the ground are able to continue and reinforce core maternal, newborn and child health services, including critical national services such as routine immunisation. The current situation puts such programmes and services at risk.
Whilst the announcement that UK aid to Afghanistan will be doubled is welcome, it follows a cut of 78%1 as part of a wider cut to the ODA budget. This decision was criticised by the RCPCH because of the implications for child health in low and middle income countries.2
The commitment to welcoming 20,000 refugees is a start but does not go far enough. The time scale proposed by UK Government fails to recognise the urgency of the situation.
RCPCH urges the UK Government to act urgently on the following:
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Coordinate with G7 and OECD partners to agree humanitarian access in Afghanistan and ensure adequate humanitarian aid3 is available without delay to support continued delivery of basic human services, in particular in food and nutrition, water and sanitation, education and health.
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Immediately establish a functional process, using UNHCR criteria, to identify Afghan refugees and facilitate reception of Afghan families and children in the UK – including through regional cooperation and facilitation of refugees arriving through informal routes into Europe and seeking entry to the UK. This should extend beyond what UK Government has recently committed to.
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Extend the proposed Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme to ensure that it can support Afghan refugees arriving independently in the UK, with particular attention to ensuring comprehensive and humane support to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children4 that may have travelled here independently.
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Ensure any resettlement programme incorporates measures to support reunification of families. Suspend legislative provisions which will criminalise claims made by refugees arriving in the UK without permission.5 Suspend deportations from the UK to Afghanistan pending clear evidence6 of acceptable humanitarian conditions for deportees.
- Ensure a transparent and participatory process involving local government to plan for process of reception, support and settlement for Afghan refugees in the UK, and ensure that adequate resources are made available at local government level to fund this.