After the fall of the Taliban regime, Switzerland opened a cooperation office in Afghanistan in 2002 to support the needy population. In the beginning, the focus was on humanitarian aid, for example in the form of medical aid or fighting hunger due to drought.
Later it was increasingly about providing reconstruction aid, investing in education or supporting agricultural projects. As the Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) announced on request, Switzerland has spent a total of around CHF 500 million since 2000 to support the Afghans.
Cooperation office temporarily closed
In view of the advance of the Taliban, it was forced to temporarily close the cooperation office in Kabul last Sunday. How the projects that Switzerland financed will continue to be open. “The needs in Afghanistan remain great,” it says on request. One examines how one can meet these under the changed conditions.
The Department of Foreign Affairs in Pakistan also supports a program run by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in favor of Afghan refugees. The current and future programs would be adapted to the changed needs, said a spokesman.