UN holds event on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan
This morning, the Secretary-General convened a high-level ministerial meeting in Geneva on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.
The hybrid meeting highlighted the acute needs in the country and underscored the urgent funding support and actions required by international partners to support the Afghan people during their time of need.
Participants heard how humanitarian needs in the country are rising, and also what the humanitarian system – including UN agencies and national and international non-governmental organizations – has been doing to stay and deliver for the people of Afghanistan.
They also heard what is needed to ensure that the vital humanitarian operation in the country can continue.
At the event, the Secretary-General announced a US$20 million allocation from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund to support the humanitarian operation in Afghanistan.
In opening remarks, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, said that the people of Afghanistan – especially Afghan women and girls – need us more than ever.
“The upheavals of recent weeks are deepening a pre-existing humanitarian crisis,” he said, which threaten “to tip the country into catastrophe”.
A Flash Appeal launched last week requires US$606 million to help 11 million Afghans in the last four months of this year.
Following the event, the Secretary-General held a press conference.