SWITZERLAND. Geneva: United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will convene a high-level conference on aid for Afghanistan on September 13 in Geneva.
“The country, now under the control of the Taliban after 20 years of war, is facing a looming humanitarian catastrophe,” Guterres’ spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, warned.
“The conference will advocate for a swift scale-up in funding so the lifesaving humanitarian operation can continue, and appeal for full and unimpeded humanitarian access to make sure Afghans continue to get the essential services they need,” he said in a statement.
Guterres believes that development gains must also be protected in the country and that the rights of women were an “essential” part of Afghanistan’s future stability. Even before the Taliban’s dominance, Afghanistan was heavily aid-dependent. Even now, Around 40 percent of the country’s GDP is drawn from foreign funding.
Meanwhile, the UN has warned that 18 million people are facing a humanitarian disaster and another 18 million people can join them.
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One in three Afghans does not know where their next meal will come from. Nearly half of all children under the age of five are predicted to be acutely malnourished in the next 12 months. Kabul residents have voiced worry over the country’s long-running economic difficulties.
At the request of the Secretary-General, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths visited the country, where he spoke with Mullah Baradar and other Taliban authorities on humanitarian issues, Stéphane Dujarric, the UN chief’s spokesperson, said in a statement.
The United States ended its war in Afghanistan on August 30, two weeks after the Afghan government fell and the Taliban took control of Kabul.
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