Speaking in Geneva, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths says only $4.4 billion is needed for the Afghanistan Humanitarian Response Plan, “to pay directly” to health care workers and others, not actual authorities.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi raised $623 million, to support refugees and host communities in five neighboring countries, for the Afghanistan Situation Regional Refugee Response Plan.
“Today we are launching a call for funding of $4.4 billion for Afghanistan itself for 2022,” said Mr. Griffiths. “This is the largest call ever for a country. sole contributor to humanitarian assistance and triple the amount needed and actually raise funds in 2021.”
Demand could double
Both UN officials emphasized that the scale of the need is already enormous, warning that if not enough action is taken now to support Afghanistan and regional response plans, then ” Next year we will ask for $10 billion.”
Mr. Griffiths added: “This is a stop-gap, a much-needed stop-gap measure that we are putting in front of the international community today. Without this funding, there will be no future, we need to do this, otherwise there will be outflows, there will be suffering. ”
Rejecting a question that the funding would be used to aid the Taliban in effectively clamping down on the government, Griffiths stressed that the money would go directly into the pockets of “nurses and medical officials on the scene.” ” so that these services can continue, not support. for State structures.
United Nations aid agencies describe Afghanistan’s plight as one of the world’s fastest growing humanitarian crises.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs OCHA, half of the population is currently facing severe hunger, more than 9 million people are displaced and millions of children are out of school.
© UNHCR / Andrew McConnell
Separated families face harsh winters and food shortages in Kabul, Afghanistan.
The situation of young people
When asked to describe what could happen if not enough support is forthcoming, the United Nations emergency chief replied that he is particularly concerned for the one million children currently facing severe acute malnutrition. “A million children – numbers are elusive when they are of this size – but a million children are at risk of malnutrition if these do not happen, which is a shocking number.”
But humanitarian agencies and their partners who will directly receive the requested funding can only do so much, Griffiths explained, before reiterating his support for with the United Nations on December 22. Security Council The resolution cleared the way for aid to reach the Afghans and prevented funds from falling into the hands of the Taliban.
“Humanitarian agencies in Afghanistan can only function if there is cash in the economy that can be used to pay officials, salaries, expenses, fuel, etc,” he said. “So liquidity in the early stages is a humanitarian issue, it’s not just a larger economic issue.”
Prevent disease, hunger
“My message is urgent: don’t shut down the people of Afghanistan,” he added. Humanitarian partners are on the ground, and they are delivering, despite the challenges. Help us scale and prevent widespread hunger, disease, malnutrition, and ultimately death by supporting the humanitarian projects we’re launching today. ”
Highlighting the need to avoid a broader regional crisis emanating from Afghanistan, UNHCR Chief of Police, Grandi, stressed that what was most needed was to “stabilize the situation inside Afghanistan, including the situation of displaced people within their own country. In addition, to prevent a larger refugee crisis, a larger crisis of external displacement. ”
However, Afghanistan’s close neighbors have sheltered vulnerable Afghans for decades, Grandi explained, as he called for $623 million in funding for 40 organizations working in the field. protection, health and nutrition, food security, shelter and non-food commodities, water and sanitation, livelihoods and resilience, education, logistics and telecommunications.
© UNHCR / Andrew McConnell
Separated families face harsh winters and food shortages in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Decades of shelter
No one should forget that “this crisis has a regional dimension, represented by the Afghan refugees but also by the Afghans with various ‘stay’ arrangements in the neighboring countries in particular,” said Grandi. said, “especially in Pakistan and Iran, which have hosted Afghans for more than 40 years, but also Central Asian countries. ”
Since the Taliban took over last August, the rights of women and girls have continued to come under attack, OCHA “while farmers and ranchers are grappling with the worst drought in decades and the economy in a freefall,” the statement said.
Permissions Reminder
On the issue of defending fundamental rights, Griffiths highlighted the fact that UN humanitarians are continuing to hold “conversations” with the de facto authorities of Afghanistan at the national level. and local, on issues such as aid and access to education for all.
Recalling that message, UN refugee chief Grandi noted that humanitarians on the ground are well aware of the importance of emphasizing the need to protect the rights of minorities. numbers and other vulnerable Afghans.
“Our colleagues are there every day, and that’s what they talk about every day; they certainly talk about access, delivery and demand, but they also talk about women working, women going to school – girls going to school – minority rights, but that’s the space we need conserve. “
