UNITED NATIONS, Mar 17 (APP): UNHCR Chief Filippo Grandi has called for sustained international support for Afghanistan\u2019s people, where the country\u2019s humanitarian crisis is worsening.<\/p>\n
Speaking from Kabul on Thursday, at the end of a four-day visit to Afghanistan, Grandi said that he had met families \u201cwho do not know what they will eat for their next meal\u201d.<\/p>\n
Acknowledging that the world is \u201crightfully preoccupied with the war in Ukraine,\u201d he pleaded for help with another humanitarian crisis.<\/p>\n
Grandi said the country is experiencing \u201ca very grave crisis\u201d and asked the international community to support Afghans both within the country and abroad.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe spoke with…women heads of households afraid for the health and well-being of their children; mothers and fathers desperate to provide for their families,\u201d the head of the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said. \u201cThe needs here are enormous.\u201d<\/p>\n
Recent reports revealed that a staggering 95 per cent of Afghans are not getting enough to eat, a number that jumped to almost 100 per cent in female-headed households.<\/p>\n
Grandi arrived in Afghanistan on Monday and met the interim Afghan Government as well as others who continue to provide vital live-saving assistance throughout the country.<\/p>\n
He reiterated UNHCR\u2019s unwavering commitment to \u201cstay and deliver humanitarian aid.\u201d<\/p>\n
The UN Refugee Agency has been in Afghanistan for four decades providing emergency assistance and support to displaced and returning Afghans.<\/p>\n
During his visit, the UNCHR chief aims to assess progress and discuss humanitarian challenges, particularly for those who are displaced or are returning to their communities.<\/p>\n
Since the beginning of the year the UN agency has helped more than 500,000 Afghans through assistance and relief programmes \u2013 including more than 130,000 people to survive the winter, and over 370 thousand who benefited from health centres, schools, water systems and other infrastructure.<\/p>\n
Grandi also visited UNHCR-built sites, including a health centre in Kandahar and a girls\u2019 school in Jalalabad.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome 3.4 million people are internally displaced due to conflict, the healthcare system is experiencing severe shortages amid the COVID crisis and a measles outbreak, key workers in vital services like schools and hospitals are without salaries, while the liquidity crisis, rising global food and energy costs are having a devastating effect,\u201d he spelled out.<\/p>\n
\u201cOverall, 24 million people throughout Afghanistan require humanitarian support this year and we appeal to donors to fund a large humanitarian effort.\u201d<\/p>\n
Highlighting the need for \u201clong-term political and economic stability,\u201d Grandi reiterated the importance of the international community while also noting that \u201chumanitarian approaches alone will not suffice.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stressed the need to revitalize Afghanistan\u2019s banking system and economy while also resuming development projects to \u201clay the foundations\u201d for displaced Afghans and refugees to consider voluntary returns \u201cwhen conditions permit.\u201d<\/p>\n
The UNHCR head said that he has been reminding the authorities of the need to build trust and to guarantee the rights of Afghans.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe best way to [build trust] is to ensure that all Afghans, including minorities, men, women, girls, and boys, can exercise their rights and have access to work and services on an equal basis,\u201d he underlined.<\/p>\n
Turning to funding, Grandi reminded that \u201cwithout support to the UN and partners\u2019 work, the hardship he witnessed this week in Jalalabad, Kandahar and Kabul will mount.\u201d<\/p>\n
Agencies working in Afghanistan urgently require $4.44 billion under the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) to meet the critical needs of 22 million Afghans and stave off hunger, disease, malnutrition, death, and displacement.<\/p>\n
Additionally, under the UN\u2019s Transitional Engagement Framework (TEF), agencies need a further $3.6 billion to sustain essential social programmes for 38 million residents.<\/p>\n
Although UNHCR alone requires $340.3 million to support its response for displaced people and other vulnerable Afghans, it is currently only 28 per cent funded, with $97 million received to date.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe needs are indeed great but so too are the opportunities,\u201d Grandi said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is now up to the international community to step up and help the resilient people of Afghanistan so they can make the most of their potential,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n
On March 31, the UN, United Kingdom, Germany and Qatar will co-host an international pledging conference in support of the humanitarian response.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 17 (APP): UNHCR Chief Filippo Grandi has called for sustained international support for Afghanistan\u2019s people, where the country\u2019s humanitarian crisis is worsening. Speaking from Kabul on Thursday, at the end of a four-day visit to Afghanistan, Grandi said that he had met […]<\/p>\n
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