Despite persistent humanitarian needs arising from years of conflict and recurrent droughts, the current situation in Afghanistan is unparalleled, with more than 24.4 million people needing humanitarian assistance to survive. based on United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The level of food security has dropped to an alarming level, leaving half of the population facing severe hunger, including 9 million people in an emergency food insecurity – the highest number in the world. gender.
Furthermore, malnutrition is increasing, and livelihoods have been destroyed.
Call for help
To help mitigate the situation, Secretary General António Guterres is on Thursday, the online launch of the High Level Engagement Event, Supporting the humanitarian response in Afghanistan – co-hosted by the United Kingdom, Germany and Qatar.
Last year, as the country faced international turmoil and isolation, donors showed considerable generosity towards Afghans.
A $1.8 billion disbursement to aid groups has been able to assist 20 million people with food, clean water, healthcare, shelter and education.
International donors are required to keep the flow and growth back this year.
The UN-coordinated relief operation – the largest but not the only operation in Afghanistan – is attracting $4.4 billion, three times the amount requested by 2021.
“We have the power to stop the downward spiral of humanitarianism in Afghanistan and it is our moral duty to use this power by pledging generous, flexible and unconditional funding today,” said UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths.
© WFP / Sadeq Naseri
The World Food Program is distributing food to vulnerable families during the harsh winter in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Making the difference
As fundraising to date has only covered 13% of the Humanitarian Response Plan 2022 requirement, pledges of support – which will continue for the rest of the year – are needed to strengthen delivery. row.
In the first eight weeks of 2022, humanitarian partners reached 12.7 million people with life-saving assistance, prioritizing women, girls and minorities.
The deliveries included nutritious food for hundreds of thousands of malnourished children, pregnant and lactating women; healthy meals for students; seeds and tools for farmers; and trauma treatment and reproductive health care.
Participants are encouraged to pledge generously to send a strong signal of solidarity that the world stands with the people of Afghanistan.
Negotiating the ‘fault line’
Before the conference, the head of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Achim Steiner, made a two-day trip to this country, where he emphasized the importance of girls and women’s rights in Afghanistan.
He said the recent decisions to ban girls from secondary school from grade 6 onwards were of great interest, and affirmed that UNDP is committed to working with UN agencies to protect and promote promote their access to education and work.
Grandfather speak.
“Both boys and girls must be allowed into the classroom because the future of Afghanistan must be for all Afghans, not just a select few.“.
Poverty soars
The head of UNDP also stressed the need for action to prevent rising poverty and economic instability.
“We reported late last year that an estimated 97 percent of Afghans could live in poverty by mid-2022, and unfortunately, that number is approaching faster than anticipated,” he said. speak.
“And with commodity prices skyrocketing globally, we know that people here can’t afford to meet basic human needs like food, healthcare and education.” .
Support female business owners
At Mazar-e-Sharif, Mr. Steiner met with female business owners and members of the Chamber of Commerce who spoke about their struggles to keep their businesses afloat.
“The women small business owners I spoke to were very persistent in their determination to continue earning an income and providing for their families and communities in the face of hardship,” Mr. Steiner said. international community to help prevent further economic hardship for them.
“This year alone, we aim to support more than 50,000 small and medium businesses, many of which are led by women.”
Debt swimming
After the Taliban took over last August, Afghanistan is facing a potentially irreversible economic fallout, a frozen banking system, and liquidity shortages that could leave some 80 percent of the population alone. fall into debt.
“We have to get our economy back up and running from the ground up, and that means supporting individuals, their families and their businesses,” said the head of UNDP. know, advocate generosity at the pledge conference.
“While the world’s attention is on Ukraine and its effects, we must also stand in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan.“.
