UN says life-saving assistance being provided to most vulnerable people in Afghanistan

United Nations humanitarians announced on Thursday that the UN and its partner organisations are delivering aid supplies across Afghanistan, which it considers as one of the world's greatest humanitarian emergencies, Xinhua reported. As per a statement from a news briefing of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the life-saving assistance being given to the most vulnerable people in Afghanistan. The aid include food, monetary assistance, non-food commodities, freshwater, sanitation, and hygiene supplies. 

The OCHA revealed that they have supplied food stocks to roughly 280,000 individuals in only four provinces of Badakhshan, Baghlan, Takhar, and Parwan among Afghanistan's 34 provinces in the last seven days. Cash, winter support, household products, water, sanitation, as well as hygiene supplies were distributed to nearly 20,000 individuals in the provinces of Ghor, Kabul, and Parwan this week, according to the office. Internally displaced individuals and other vulnerable populations are among those who are getting assistance. 

Furthermore, approximately 15,000 people from Badakhshan, Baghlan, Balkh, and Kunduz provinces will obtain humanitarian assistance in the upcoming days, which will include internally displaced, drought-affected individuals, returnees, vulnerable host populations, according to the OCHA. Food and cash are included in this assistance.

Financial Aid to Afghanistan 

The OCHA statement further highlighted that the UN's Afghanistan Flash Appeal had recognised the priority needs of the country between September and December 2021, requiring 606 million dollars which is 113% funded at $683 million. In addition to this, the UN's standalone Afghanistan Humanitarian Response Plan, which was created at the start of this year, needed $869 million, according to the office. It has 730 million in funding, which is 84% financed. According to the OCHA, the two appeals complement each other by identifying 18.4 million individuals in need and currently focusing on 17.7 million people. Humanitarians want to achieve their aim before the end of the year. 

The 2022 Global Humanitarian Overview, which was released in Geneva on Thursday, stated that 24.4 million people in Afghanistan would require humanitarian assistance by next year. After the Taliban seized Kabul on August 15, Afghanistan was designated as "one of the world's largest emergencies," according to the report. 

Meanwhile, the United Nations (UN) intends to broaden its Afghan-focused initiatives. As per TOLO news, the UN is seeking $4.5 billion in financial assistance in 2022 to help disadvantaged people across the globe, with a specific focus on initiatives in Afghanistan that address the country's unique needs and crisis circumstances. 

(Image: AP/ Representative Image)