Afghanistan: Food insecurity and malnutrition threaten ‘an entire generation’ |
Ramiz Alakbarovwho is also the Deputy Special Representative, issued declare says that severe hunger in the country has increased from 14 million in July to 23 million in March, forcing households to resort to “desperate measures” to put food on the table.
“Acceptable trade-offs have caused incalculable suffering, reduced the quality, quantity and variety of food available, led to high levels of childhood wasting and adverse effects. different to the physical and mental well-being of women, men and children,” he spelled out.
‘Hard reality’
Astonishing 95% of Afghans do not have enough to eatwith this number rising to nearly 100% in women-headed households, according to the UN Resident Coordinator, who is also the deputy head of the UN support mission, UNAMA.
“It’s an almost unthinkable number. However, it’s brutal, that’s the harsh reality,” he said.
Mr Alakbarov painted a picture of hospital wards full of malnourished children, many as young as one weighing as much as a six-month-old baby in a developed country, with some being “too weak to movable”.
Reduce hunger
As Afghanistan continues to face the effects of a terrible drought, the prospect of another bad harvest this year, a financial and banking crisis so severe that more than 80 percent of the population is exposed. debt, growing food and fuel prices, the United Nations official attests, “we cannot ignore the reality facing our communities”.
“Huge challenges are ahead”, he said, reiterating that the UN and its partners are “doing everything they can” to reduce the impact of hunger and malnutrition, while giving communities the means to protect and maintain their livelihood in the future.
So far this year, humanitarian partners have supported 8.2 million people with life-sustaining and life-sustaining food assistance, including emergency food rations, school meals, supplies agricultural, nutritious food and dietary supplement for nursing mothers and their infants.
In the coming months, the UN and its partners will continue to focus on expanding response operations, reaching remote and previously underserved areas inaccessible to ongoing conflict. Okay.
Reaching malnourished people
Rates of acute malnutrition in 28 out of 34 provinces are high with more than 3.5 million children in need of nutritional treatment Dr. Alakbarov said.
He explained that since mid-August, more than 2,500 nutrition treatment facilities across 34 provinces, both urban and rural, have served 800,000 severely malnourished children, “and we expect reaching 3.2 million affected children this year”.
“We also aim to reach one million people through vocational skills training, one million children through school feeding, and millions more both directly and indirectly through programs that will protect protect and promote the agricultural livelihoods on which the majority of the population depends,” added the United Nations Representative.
Necessary humanitarian response
Although a major humanitarian response launched since August has averted “our worst fears of winter”, Dr Alakbarov reminds that food insecurity and malnutrition remains at “historic highs” and requires an “immediate, sustained and large-scale humanitarian response.”
On March 31, the United Nations, the United Kingdom, Germany and Qatar will co-host the international organization commitment conference to support humanitarian responses.
“The fate of an entire generation of Afghans is at stake,” he said, assuring that the United Nations would continue to provide regular updates in the coming weeks.
A plea for help
The senior UN official urged member states to “dig deep” for the people of Afghanistan and continue generously supporting life-saving efforts.
While acknowledging that humanitarian assistance alone is not enough to tackle the challenges of today or tomorrow, he stressed that “it is essential to keep people alive and healthy, and prevent vulnerable people in the most precarious situations can fall into need.”
“As we come together to help millions of Afghans rebuild their lives and communities, we must remember that the long road to a better future is impossible on an empty stomach,“I said.