Airbnb to provide free housing around the world for 20,000 Afghan refugees

24 August 2021, 14:09

Airbnb has offered to let 20,000 Afghan refugees stay in properties around the world and is asking for more hosts to come forward to offer a place to stay for those fleeing the crisis.

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said: "The displacement and resettlement of Afghan refugees in the US and elsewhere is one of the biggest humanitarian crises of our time. We feel a responsibility to step up.

"I hope this inspires other business leaders to do the same. There's no time to waste."

The UK has evacuated more than 8,400 people from Afghanistan as part of the rescue mission began less than two weeks ago.

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The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on Tuesday that Operation Pitting, the military evacuation that began on August 13, has so far taken 8,458 people out of Kabul.

This included people departing the Afghan capital in nine military flights over a 24-hour period.

Embassy staff, British nationals, those eligible under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) programme and a number of nationals from partner nations were included in the evacuation figure.

The UN Refugee Agency said last month that an estimated 270,000 Afghans had been newly displaced inside the country since January - primarily due to insecurity and violence - bringing the total uprooted population to more than 3.5 million.

White House officials said 28 US military flights ferried about 10,400 people to safety out of Taliban-held Afghanistan over 24 hours that ended early Monday morning, and 15 C-17 flights over the next 12 hours brought out another 6,660.

Airbnb has a history of making free shelter to those in need.

Since 2012, Airbnb.org has housed 75,000 people fleeing or responding to a crisis, from Covid-19 health workers and earthquake or fire evacuees or responders, to refugees.

Hosts are allowed to sign up for the programme through Airbnb.org.

"If you're willing to host a refugee family, reach out and I'll connect you with the right people here to make it happen!," Mr Chesky wrote.

Airbnb operates in approximately 100,000 cities in almost every country and region across the world.