Afghanistan needs international support t – UN

NEW YORK -The United Nations (UN) and global non governmental organisations have said the people of Afghanistan need international support to overcome the myriad of challenges they are facing.

In a joint statement yesterday, UN said its agencies were committed to helping and protecting the Afghans, a large number of whom needed humanitarian assistance.

“We will stay in Afghanistan and we will deliver. At the start of 2021, half the population of Afghanistan – including more than four million women and nearly 10 million children – already needed humanitarian assistance.

“One-third of the population was facing crisis and emergency levels of acute food insecurity and more than half of all children under five years of age were malnourished.

“Those needs have risen sharply because of conflict, drought and COVID-19,” said the UN.

Since the end of May, the number of people internally displaced because of conflict and in need of immediate humanitarian aid more than doubled, reaching 550,000.

“We echo the UN Secretary-General’s call for all parties (including the Taliban) to cease all violence and comply with international humanitarian law and human rights. “They must allow and facilitate safe, rapid and unimpeded access for humanitarian workers – both male and female staff – so they can deliver aid to civilians in need wherever they are.

“The humanitarian operation will also depend on funding, movement within, to and from Afghanistan, and access to health facilities.”

The critical role of front-line humanitarian organisations was also supposed to be supported.

“All parties must protect civilians and respect the rights and freedoms of all.

“Today we reiterate our commitment to promoting the rights of everyone in Afghanistan, including women and girls,” said the UN.

Important gains made in recent years – including on gender equality and girls’ access to a quality education – we supposed to be preserved.

Much more needed to be done to realize the rights of women and girls.

“We will continue to engage to make sure this happens. Civilians must also be allowed to seek safety and protection, including the right to seek asylum.

“We call on Governments to keep borders open to receive Afghan refugees fleeing from violence and persecution and refrain from deportations.

“This is not the time to abandon the Afghan people. Member States must provide all possible support to Afghan nationals at risk, including a moratorium on repatriations,” said UN.

A total of US$1.3 billion was required to reach almost 16 million people with humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan.

Only 37 per cent of required funds had been received, leaving a shortfall of almost $800 million.

“The international community has spent decades working with the people of Afghanistan to make progress. Now the international community must continue to support the people of Afghanistan if those gains are not to be reversed. Humanitarian funding must be sustained.