Updated September 13th, 2021 at 13:01 IST
UN Chief Guterres to convene humanitarian conference for Afghanistan today amid WFP review
UN Chief Antonio Guterres is all set to hold a high-level conference on September 13. The meeting comes at the heels of a review presented by the WFP.
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Following reports of the dire need for humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan, United Nations Chief Antonio Guterres is all set to hold a high-level conference on September 13. The meeting comes at the heels of a review presented by the World Food Programme (WFP), which showed that Afghanistan stands at the brink of food and nutrition emergency threshold. As per the report, every 1 out of 2 children of 5 year's age is acutely malnourished. The results were based on data collected from 27 out of 37 provinces.
"I will convene a high-level humanitarian conference for Afghanistan on September 13 to advocate for a swift scale-up in funding and full, unimpeded access to those in need," UN Chief Antonio Guterres wrote on Twitter.
Earlier, the UN Chief acknowledged the need for humanitarian assistance for children and women left in Afghanistan. "Now more than ever, Afghan children, women, and men need support and solidarity from the international community," UN Chief Antonio Guterres said in a tweet.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric took to Twitter to confirm Mr. Guterres' travel to Geneva, Switzerland to hold the high-level ministerial meeting to draft a solution in response to the crisis in Afghanistan. "... The secretary-general will travel to Geneva to convene on September 13 a high-level ministerial humanitarian meeting to address the growing needs in Afghanistan," Dujarric wrote on Twitter. The meeting will also shed light on the catastrophic deterioration of basic services in the war-ravaged country.
Afghanistan faces a severe crisis in all sectors after Taliban annexation
As per a UNDP report, Afghanistan is at the brink of universal poverty. Following this, similar reports were produced by the UN branches which displayed the lack of employment opportunities, acute food shortages, and violation of human rights.
#Afghanistan Levels of acute malnutrition are above emergency thresholds in 27 of 34 provinces.
— World Food Programme (@WFP) September 11, 2021
Almost 1/2 of children under 5 and 1/4 of pregnant and breastfeeding women need life-saving nutritional support over the next 12 months.
❤️You can help: https://t.co/DVkcbqhuDN pic.twitter.com/frdXDzotUT
WFP, the UN branch that procures food and nutrition supplies to areas inflicted with global emergencies like war or natural disaster. As of September 11, about 93% of households consumed insufficient food in the past weeks. Three out of four families have limited portions fearing supply run out in the coming 14 days. As many as 14 million are facing an acute shortage of food insecurity including 2 million children at risk of malnutrition. To top it all, about 1,53,840 citizens have been infected with COVID-19. Meanwhile, extreme weather conditions like the drought in the plains and heavy snow in the hills have ruined 40% of crops and made it difficult for aids to run over the snow-covered roads, respectively.
Food security in #Afghanistan has deteriorated in the past month. Food prices are higher⬆️ and incomes are lower⬇️
— World Food Programme (@WFP) September 12, 2021
People are eating less, increasingly relying on coping strategies such as borrowing money and food & are unable to reach to markets in several parts of the country. pic.twitter.com/vWgAgQC81r
US pullout and aftermath
The Taliban swept major major territories across Afghanistan weeks before US and Allied troops made the final exit from the war-torn nation. By July 26, the rogue militant group overtook one-third of the country's 421 districts including key border points with Pakistan, Iran, and Tajikistan. According to United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), 5,138 civilians were killed (1,659) and injured (3,524) in the first half of the year, with a particularly sharp increase in casualties recorded between May and June following the withdrawal of international military forces and intensification of fighting. On August 15, the Taliban finally captured the Afghan capital within weeks following the US withdrawal, leading the country to the edge of "catastrophic deterioration in the lives of Afghanistan's most vulnerable populations."
With inputs from ANI
Image: AP/@WFP_Twitter (representative)
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Published September 13th, 2021 at 13:01 IST
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