Report Title:

Afghan Refugees; Humanitarian Aid

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

51

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2001

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

URGING THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT TO PROVIDE IMMEDIATE AND LONG TERM HUMANITARIAN RELIEF AID TO DISPLACED AFGHAN PEOPLE IN AFGHANISTAN AND IN REFUGEE CAMPS IN PAKISTAN AND IRAN.

 

 

WHEREAS, in the ongoing civil war in Afghanistan, Taliban attacks and counter attacks have displaced thousands of Afghans from their homes and violations of humanitarian laws are commonplace; and

WHEREAS, the displaced Afghans are facing extremely dire conditions, living in squalor in makeshift refugee camps in Pakistan and Iran, and in six camps established by the United Nations in Herat, inside Afghanistan; and

WHEREAS, Afghan refugees live in flimsy tents made of plastic that offer no protection against subzero nighttime temperatures; with no sanitation or clean water, many die from preventable illnesses; and

WHEREAS, in some camps three and four families live in a tent meant to shelter one family; tuberculosis is spreading among children; and

WHEREAS, in a country decimated by war, the worst drought in decades has ravaged herds and crops, pushing the country to the brink of catastrophe; and

WHEREAS, the United Nations recently issued an urgent appeal for international humanitarian aid to help Afghan refugees, noting the immediate need for tents, blankets, quilts, medicine, and food; and

WHEREAS, the United Nations World Food Program said need is outpacing supply and many Afghans will starve if food is not received within the next two months; women and children are particularly at risk of hunger and exposure during the harsh winter; and

WHEREAS, a United States shipment of blankets, tents, and food was delivered to the refugee camps in Afghanistan in early February; and

WHEREAS, while this humanitarian aid is commendable, immediate additional humanitarian relief assistance is desperately needed, as well as longer term support for education and health care; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2001, the Senate concurring, that the Legislature urges the President of the United States, the Secretary of State, and members of the United States Congress to continue to provide humanitarian relief assistance for displaced Afghans in Afghanistan and in refugee camps in Pakistan and Iran; with immediate aid to include food, clothing, seeds, blankets, and shelter, and long term support that includes education and health care for Afghan women and girls in Afghanistan and in refugee camps in Pakistan and Iran; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, Secretary of State, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of Hawaii's congressional delegation.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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