Afghanistan's Food Insecurity is a severe threat to an entire generation, says UN official
People in Afghanistan have been facing acute food insecurity and malnutrition crisis, says Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator.
- World News
- 2 min read
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People in Afghanistan have been facing severe food insecurity and malnutrition. The crisis in the country has reached unparalleled proportions. United Nations Deputy Special Representative Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov issued a statement saying that the country's acute hunger crisis has risen from 14 million in July 2021 to 23 million in March 2022, forcing people to seek 'desperate measures', as per the UN reports. Food insecurity in the country had caused the greatest threat to the entire generation, the report further revealed.
“Unacceptable trade-offs had caused suffering, reduced quality and quantity of the available food, which led to increased levels of wasting amongst children. This is harming the mental and physical well-being of women, children, and men,” he explained in the statement. According to Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, who is also the UN Resident Coordinator stated that about 95% of the Afghan population is not getting enough to eat, with that number rising to almost 100% of households being female-headed.
Afghanistan continues to struggle with the effects of the terrible drought in the country, prospects go through a bad harvest this year, while the banking and financial crisis is so severe that it has left more than 80% of the population starving with increased food and fuel prices. ''We cannot avoid the grim reality facing communities,” said Ramiz Alakbarov as per UN News. He further said, ''Acute malnutrition rates in 28 out of 34 provinces in the country are high with 3.5 million children starving for nutritious treatment," as per UN News.
The long road to a better future is impossible on an empty stomach.
— Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov (@RamizAlakbarov) March 15, 2022
We do everything we can through comprehensive and coordinated effort to alleviate the impact of hunger&malnutrition in Afghanistan. My full statement: https://t.co/lHP2fa5Se4
📷: @WFP_Afghanistan @FAOAfghanistan pic.twitter.com/4WhmtDvEur
UN Deputy Special Representative requests for Help
UN News reported that a senior official has urged the members to go into depth in helping the Afghan people from starving and facing severe acute malnutrition, while requesting to continuously support generous life-saving efforts. Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov addressed that humanitarian assistance alone is not enough for today's and tomorrow’s challenges for vulnerable people. He also added that “it is necessary to keep people alive and healthy while saving them from a more precarious situation so that they do not slide further into need.”