Cash assistance distribution at the Post Office Islamabad

ISLAMABAD, 10 November 2020: UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency has provided emergency cash assistance to over 50,000 vulnerable Afghan refugee families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan.

The UNHCR emergency cash programme follows the Government of Pakistan’s Ehsaas emergency cash programme, where vulnerable Pakistani families receive a one-off cash grant of Rs.12,000 (approximately $77). UNHCR is targeting 70,000 of the most vulnerable refugee families.

This assistance is being carried out in close collaboration with the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) and with the Pakistan Post. The Pakistan Post is currently disbursing the emergency cash assistance.

On Tuesday, UNHCR’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Mr. Indrika Ratwatte – who is on a three-day visit to Pakistan – participated in the distribution of cash assistance to refugees at a Post Office in Islamabad. He also interacted with Afghan refugee elders. The UNHCR Representative in Pakistan, Ms. Noriko Yoshida, and senior officials from the Post Office were also present on the occasion.