The UN World Food Program (WFP) is regularly sending humanitarian aid from Termez to Afghanistan. According to the WFP, about 42,000 tons of food products have been sent via this route from November 2021 to date.
This is stated in the message of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, dedicated to the International Multifunctional Transport and Logistics Hub for Humanitarian Aid. This status was recently received by the Termez Cargo Center logistics center, where since 2021 the UN and other international organizations have been forming a pool of assistance to Afghanistan and other countries.
Reportedly, the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan remains difficult. As previously reported, about 1,000 people died as a result of the devastating earthquake, more than 1,500 were injured, and about 600 houses were destroyed in only one of the provinces affected by the natural disaster, Khosta. Another 400 people died from the flood that came to the provinces of Nangarhar, Pajshir, Khost and Paktika. The floods destroyed houses and farmlands.
The United Nations estimates that almost half of Afghanistan's population of 18 million people is dependent on humanitarian aid for a living. More than half of all Afghan children under the age of five will suffer from malnutrition in the near future.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, in his address at the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, emphasized that "in the current difficult period, Afghanistan cannot be isolated, left alone with the big problems that exist."
The international transport and logistics hub in Termez has the necessary infrastructure - an international airport, a river port, a railway and roads connecting with Afghanistan, and the Termez Cargo Center logistics terminal itself is located just 2 km from the Afghan border and is equipped with the most modern machinery and equipment.
The UN leadership, other leading international organizations and many states support Uzbekistan's efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan using the available opportunities in Termez, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
In December 2021, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) sent the first batch of humanitarian aid from Termez to Afghanistan, consisting of 40 tons of basic relief items. In February 2022, UNHCR sent 20 tons of relief supplies from Termez to Tajikistan to help prepare for a possible influx of refugees from Afghanistan.
UNHCR gave the management office in Termez the status of a Regional Humanitarian Logistics Center with the possibility of expanding the geography of humanitarian cargo deliveries.
In addition, the International Organization for Migration, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the European Union and other international structures and foreign countries are also interested in using the transit potential of Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan itself also provides assistance to Afghanistan. In September and December 2021, the government delivered two large humanitarian cargoes with a total volume of more than 5,000 tons through Termez. In April 2022, on the eve of the Ramadan Hayit holiday, Uzbekistan delivered about 4,000 more tons of humanitarian cargo to Afghanistan. The aid consisted of food, medicine, clothing, textile products, wheat and coal.
“The creation of the International Hub is in line with the interests and efforts of the world community in the Afghan issue,” the Foreign Ministry said. “Most importantly, this will allow us to quickly deliver essential goods to the people of Afghanistan and, thus, provide effective assistance to the Afghan people in overcoming the humanitarian crisis.”
Uzbekistan is ready for active cooperation in this matter with all international partners, the country's Foreign Ministry assured.
