PESHAWAR: The United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grande has warned that if Afghanistan was not provided humanitarian aid in a few weeks, there could be a large-scale displacement of families and the flow of refugees to neighbouring countries would increase.
Addressing the Annual Meeting of the Executive Committee of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Grande said that global cooperation is essential to find solutions to Afghanistan’s crisis. Referring to the unrest in Afghanistan and several other countries, Grande urged that the problems can be overcome with courage and self-sacrifice.
Read more:
‘Children dying of malnutrition in Afghanistan:’ report
Taliban called on int’l community to open embassies in Kabul
UN seeks $600mn to avoid humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan
Afghanistan is facing economic crisis after the Taliban takeover on 15 August as prices of basic food items have soared and thousands of government employees have not received salaries for the past few months. One of the main expectations for resolving the crisis is foreign aid, which has either been reduced or stagnated since the Taliban takeover.
The UNHCR chief has expressed concern over the current situation in Afghanistan, saying: “Recent changes have created new threats. Humanitarian aid must be provided immediately and unconditionally within a few weeks as the crisis will only get worse without foreign aid”.
In a few weeks, a summit of the world’s major industrialized nations (G20) will be held, where representatives of Russia, the United States, China, Europe and other Asian powers will discuss Afghanistan. Mr Macron said that the Taliban should first allow the international aid agencies for humanitarian activities in Afghanistan without any restriction. He added that the Taliban have to sever ties with terror organisations and respect human rights, especially women’s rights, if they want international recognition.
The Afghan Taliban has said it welcomes the international community’s humanitarian assistance, but would not allow anyone to interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs. The Taliban have also called on international financial institutions to release Afghanistan’s frozen assets which would help in easing the ongoing crisis.
At a special UN-led summit in Geneva last month, the international community pledged $1 billion in emergency aid to Afghanistan. UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently said that the Taliban will be extended every support they must accept certain conditions of international community.”