Despite persistent humanitarian needs sparked by years of conflict and recurrent drought, the current situation in Afghanistan is unprecedented, with more than 24.4 million people requiring humanitarian assistance to survive, according to the UN Office for Coordination. of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Food security levels have fallen at an alarming rate, leaving half the population facing acute hunger, including nine million in a state of emergency food insecurity – the highest number in the world.

Moreover, malnutrition is on the rise and livelihoods have been destroyed.

Call for help

To help alleviate the situation, Secretary-General António Guterres is launching a high-level online donor event on Thursday, Supporting the humanitarian response in Afghanistan – co-hosted by the UK, Germany and Qatar.

Last year, as the country faced deep turmoil and international isolation, donors showed remarkable generosity to Afghans.

A $1.8 billion disbursement to aid groups helped 20 million people with lifesaving food, clean water, healthcare, shelter and education.

International donors are urged to maintain the flow and growth of funds again this year.

The UN-coordinated relief operation – the largest but not the only one in Afghanistan – is appealing for $4.4 billion, three times the amount requested in 2021.

“We have the power to stop the downward humanitarian spiral in Afghanistan and it is our moral duty to use that power by pledging generous, flexible and unconditional funding today,” said UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths.

Make the difference

As fundraising has so far only provided 13% of the needs of the 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan, pledges of support – which will continue for the rest of the year – are urgently needed to accelerate deliveries. .

In the first eight weeks of 2022, humanitarian partners provided life-saving assistance to 12.7 million people, prioritizing women, girls and minority groups.

Deliveries have included nutritious food for hundreds of thousands of malnourished children and pregnant and nursing women; healthy meals for school children; seeds and tools for farmers; and trauma treatment and reproductive health care.

Participants are encouraged to generously pledge to send a strong signal of solidarity that the world stands with the Afghan people.

Negotiating “fault lines”

Prior to the conference, the head of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Achim Steiner, made a two-day trip to the country, where he highlighted the importance of girls’ and women’s rights in Afghanistan.

Recent decisions banning girls from attending secondary school from grade 6 are of great concern, he said, saying UNDP is committed to working with UN agencies to advocate and promote their access to education and work.

“UNDP partnerships are often multidimensional, and sometimes we face challenges that, like girls’ education in Afghanistan, can become fault lines,” he said.

“Boys and girls must be allowed in classrooms because the future of Afghanistan must be for all Afghans, not just the privileged few”.

Growing poverty

The UNDP chief also signaled the urgent need for action to prevent soaring poverty and economic instability.

“We reported late last year that around 97% of Afghans could be living in poverty by mid-2022, and unfortunately that number is being reached faster than expected,” he said. declared.

“And with commodity prices soaring globally, we know that people here cannot afford to meet their basic human needs like food, healthcare and education.”

Support women entrepreneurs

In Mazar-e-Sharif, Steiner met with women business owners and members of the Chamber of Commerce who spoke about their struggles to keep businesses afloat.

“The women small business owners I have spoken with are tenacious in their determination to continue earning an income and supporting their families and communities through thick and thin,” he said, pushing the international community to help prevent further economic hardship for them.

“This year alone, we aim to support over 50,000 small and medium-sized businesses, many of which are run by women.”

Swim in debt

Following the Taliban takeover last August, Afghanistan faces a potentially irreversible economic collapse, a frozen banking system and a liquidity crunch that could leave around 80% of the population in debt.

“We need to get the economy back on its feet and start from scratch, and that means support for individuals, their families and their businesses,” the UNDP chief said, pleading for generosity at the donor conference.

“As the world’s attention is on Ukraine and the ripple effect of this war, we must also stand in solidarity with the Afghan people”.