VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia has sent humanitarian aid in the form of foods and nutrient to Afghan people who are currently facing worsening humanitarian situation.

"As per Mr. President's directives, this humanitarian aid is the addition of humanitarian aid and development cooperation assistance commitment from Indonesia," Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said while seeing off two planes carrying Indonesian humanitarian aid for Afghan people at Soekarno-Hatta Airport on Sunday.

The humanitarian aid is a response to the worsening humanitarian situation in Afghanistan where some 23 million people are under the threat of starvation and more than three million children are under the threat of malnutrition.

In preparing the humanitarian aid, the minister said Indonesia coordinated with several UN bodies particularly the World Food Program (WFP. The aid will be distributed among Afghan people in cooperation with WFP under the supervision of Indonesian mission in Kabul.

The minister said without support from the international community, the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan will increasingly become heavier and may have an impact on stability in the country as a whole.

In addition to short-term humanitarian aid, she said Indonesia is also in the process of preparing long-term assistance including educational assistance and capacity building particularly for Afghan women.

Earlier, at the meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC in Islamabad, Indonesia reiterated the importance of respecting Afghan women's rights and empowering them.

"In the near future, I will discuss details of cooperation in education and women's empowerment in Afghanistan with Qatar and representatives from Afghanistan," she said. (Antaranews)