The humanitarian needs in Afghanistan are alarmingly high and the international community remains in "crisis management mode," top officials reported to the United Nations Security Council on June 21.
High-ranking representatives from the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) briefed the 15-member Council on the severe impact on civilians since the Taliban's takeover in August 2021.
Roza Otunbayeva, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA, underscored the "massive poverty" afflicting the nation.
"Afghanistan remains beset by massive poverty that leaves the population even more vulnerable to the many natural disasters that we have seen over the past few years as a result of climate change," Otunbayeva remarked.
This desperate situation persists despite over $7bn in international aid for humanitarian assistance and an additional $4bn for civilian support since the Taliban assumed power.
Afghan women civil servants, restricted from returning to work until "necessary conditions" are met by the Taliban, face significant salary cuts, exacerbating their financial struggles.
"These restrictions deprive the country of vital human capital that it needs to implement the Taliban’s own policy of self-reliance," Otunbayeva noted. "They contribute to a brain drain that undermines Afghanistan’s future."
Lisa Doughten, Director of Financing and Partnerships at OCHA, expressed deep concerns regarding the situation of women and girls.
"Afghanistan will soon enter its fourth year under the Taliban de-facto authority," Doughten said. "No one has felt the impact more profoundly than women and girls."
The Taliban's ban on education for girls beyond the sixth grade, in place for over 1,000 days, has led to increased child marriage, early childbearing, heightened levels of depression, and reported suicide attempts among young women and girls.
Doughten highlighted the compounded difficulties due to climate change, including extreme weather events and frequent, intense droughts. Approximately 120,000 people have been affected by flash flooding and mudslides, resulting in hundreds of deaths, the destruction of villages, and the devastation of tens of thousands of acres of agricultural land.
"Afghanistan remains wholly unprepared to deal with these increasingly persistent threats and will require significant investments in early warning and early response systems," Doughten stressed.
She called for long-term solutions to help Afghans overcome poverty and adapt to the changing climate.
On June 30, the UN will host a meeting in Doha, Qatar, to continue discussions on Afghanistan's dire situation. Special Representative Otunbayeva expressed hope that stakeholders would reach an agreement on alleviating the uncertainties facing the Afghan people.
Achieving this requires great flexibility among stakeholders and a clearer political willingness to move beyond crisis management towards addressing the larger issues within Afghanistan and its relations with the international community.
"Nothing is easy in Afghanistan, but with sustained assistance, we can support people in realizing a life with peace, stability, and hope," Otunbayeva concluded.
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