International community urged to aid Afghanistan

China's envoy to the United Nations on Monday called on the international community to increase humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and refrain from politicizing aid, warning that millions of Afghans remain at risk amid severe funding shortages.

Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told a UN General Assembly session on the situation in Afghanistan that nearly 23 million Afghans are in need of humanitarian assistance, yet only 15.7 percent of the required funding for 2025 has been met.

"The sharp decline in external aid from traditional donors has had a serious impact on Afghanistan's humanitarian situation," said Geng.

"It is vital to resume and scale up humanitarian aid to Afghanistan without delay," Geng said. "Ensuring that humanitarian assistance remains free from politicization or instrumentalization is critical to safeguarding the survival and development of the Afghan people."

"We call on traditional donor countries, especially those with historical responsibility for Afghanistan's current situation, to increase financial support and help the Afghan people through this difficult time.

"Unilateral sanctions must be lifted immediately," Geng said. "Afghanistan's overseas assets should be unfrozen and returned without preconditions to support the reconstruction of its financial system and economy."

China also expressed support for increased engagement between the international community and the Afghan interim government to build mutual understanding and trust, Geng said.

"It is a common expectation of the international community, and a prerequisite for Afghanistan's stability and development, that the basic rights of all its people be safeguarded," he said.

"The right of Afghan women to education, employment and participation in public life remains a universal demand," Geng said.

He said efforts to protect women's rights must be grounded in a broader framework of peace and reconstruction. "Women's rights cannot be realized in a vacuum. We must help create favorable conditions through support for national recovery and development."