Delegation of IFRC Visits Afghanistan: Pledges to Strengthen Humanitarian Assistance and Joint Cooperation

Saturday, July 26, 2025

Sheikh Ul Hadith Shahabuddin Delawar, Acting President of the ARCS, along with Vice President Hafiz Azizur Rahman, held a high-level meeting with Mr. Joy Singhal, Head of Health, Climate Change, and Disaster Management for the Asia- Pacific region at the IFRC, and Mr. Ahamd Suleiman, Deputy Head of the IFRC Delegation in Afghanistan. The Meeting focused on enhancing support for returnees, addressing the impacts of climate change, and improving healthcare services. 
Mr. Delawar lauded Mr. Singhal’s visit as a crucial step toward expanding and strengthening ARCS’s humanitarian efforts. He expressed hope that the visit would result in tangible outcomes, particularly in understanding and addressing the challenges of returning refugees, finding ways to respond to climate-affected regions and victims, improving healthcare, and advancing the treatment of mental health patients. He further emphasized ARCS’s readiness to deepen collaboration with international partners in key areas such as the creation of employment opportunities for long-term humanitarian aid, short-term shelter for refugees, access to nutritious food and clean drinking water. 
In response, Mr. Singhal identified Afghanistan as one of the IFRC’s top three priorities. He outlined plans to conduct a field visit to the Islam Qala border crossing, Herat to gain firsthand insights into the living conditions of returnees, assess the humanitarian and healthcare services currently in place, and evaluate the needs of communities adversely affected by climate change. Additionally, he emphasized the importance of discussing approaches to strengthen psychosocial support and mental health care systems.
Mr. Singhal pledged to produce a comprehensive evaluation report following the mission, which will serve as a basis for developing future engagement strategies. The report will be shared with regional and international partners to help guide concrete steps toward expanding collaborative efforts. In addition to this, he assured the leadership of the efforts that will be made to provide financial support to ARCS following a thorough review of existing challenges and proposed recommendations. 
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to sustained and strengthened cooperation.