Crisis in Afghanistan: UN convenes meeting to raise funds for “looming humanitarian catastrophe”

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, convened a high-level conference on aid to Afghanistan in Geneva on September 13, reported his spokesperson on Friday.

The country, under the control of the Taliban after 20 years of war, it faces a “impending humanitarian disaster“Stéphane Dujarric warned.

“The conference advocate for a rapid increase in funding so that vital humanitarian operations can continue; and call for full and unhindered humanitarian access to ensure that Afghans continue to receive the essential services they need ”, he said in a statement.

Dujarric called to protect progress in the country’s development, noting that Women’s rights they are an “essential” part of the future stability of Afghanistan.

The UN has warned that 18 million people in Afghanistan face a humanitarian disaster, and another 18 million could quickly join them.

“One in three Afghans don’t know what their next meal will be. Almost half of all children under five are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition in the next 12 months, ”Dujarric warned.

The United States ended its war in Afghanistan on August 30, 15 days after the fall of the Afghan government, and Kabul fell into the hands of the Taliban. These days were marked by a frenzied operation led by Washington to evacuate Americans, foreigners and Afghans fleeing the new regime.

Since the withdrawal of American forces, the Taliban have collaborated with Qatar so that the airport Acceptance, crucial for getting help, is back up and running.

On Thursday, the UN announced that it had restarted humanitarian flights to certain regions of the country, from the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad, to Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan and Kandahar in the south.

The flag bearer of the country, Ariana Afghan Airlines, resumed domestic flights on Fridaywhile the United Arab Emirates sent a plane carrying medical and food aid.

The armed conflict, which has displaced more than half a million people this year, has been accompanied by severe drought which complicates the food situation In the country and humanitarian actors consider the delivery of supplies as essential before the onset of a winter that promises to be harsh.

UN plans publish on the 7th a request for funds to cover the most urgent humanitarian needs for the next four months.

“It is crucial that the international communityl take swift action to ensure increased humanitarian funding to support Afghans, while remaining flexible and responsive to growing needsThe organization said in a note released today ahead of the 13.

The Afghan economy has been on the verge of collapse since the Taliban’s rise to power led to the suspension of international funds, on which the Asian country largely depends. Even before the Taliban regained power in mid-August, Afghanistan was heavily dependent on foreign aid.: 40% of the country’s GDP came from foreign funds.

(With information from AFP and EFE)

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