UNITED NATIONS, Sept 4 (NNN-Xinhua) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres thanked several member states for helping keep UN operations in Afghanistan going as the country is facing a food insecurity and malnutrition crisis.
“I can tell you that the secretary-general is indeed very grateful for the generosity of member states, including Denmark, Kazakhstan, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Poland, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States, which have made available facilities and arrangements in support of continuing UN operations in Afghanistan,” said Stephane Dujarric, Guterres’ spokesman.
With their offers and commitments, they have made a great contribution to the safety and security, operational delivery, and overall continuity of UN activities, said the spokesman.
The UN operations in Afghanistan have suffered disruptions owing to the fast pace of political change, which resulted in the collapse of the government and the Taliban’s return to power.
UN humanitarians on Friday warned that Afghanistan is facing a food insecurity and malnutrition crisis. A third of the population, or more than 12 million people, are acutely food insecure and their situation is expected to be greatly worsened by the drought, which has impacted a third of the country, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Already, more than half of children under 5 are expected to face acute malnutrition — a life-threatening condition requiring specialized foods and medicines to prevent death and mitigate sickness and life-long consequences, it said.
As an economic crisis looms, job opportunities also remain limited across the country. The 2021 harvest is expected to be below average and the next lean season is expected to be more intense and arrive earlier. Agricultural labor activities are estimated to have reduced by a third, it said.
There is also a need to address water scarcity to prevent displacement and reduce hunger. Nine million people were in need of water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance at the beginning of 2021, said OCHA.
In the first six months of the year, the United Nations and partners provided food and livelihood assistance to more than 5.5 million people, many of whom are in drought-affected areas. But much more is needed. In certain parts of the country, the full effects of the drought are yet to be felt. In the last months, many farmers have been unable to access their fields due to conflict at critical times for planting and harvesting, it said.
The UN 2021 humanitarian response plan for Afghanistan is only 40 percent funded, leaving a deficit of 766 million U.S. dollars, it said. — NNN-XINHUA
