UNITED NATIONS: Economic downturn and climate change continue to exacerbate the crisis in Afghanistan, and there are no positive developments toward getting girls back into educational institutions, a key UN official said on Thursday.
Over 28 million people depend on aid to survive in the country where the Taliban returned to power in August 2021 after waging an insurgency against the US-backed government in Kabul since 2001.
United Nations Deputy Special Representative and Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan Ramiz Alakbarov said that Afghanistan remains the largest humanitarian crisis in 2023.
The UN and partners are trying to get 4.6 billion dollars this year to assist the Afghan people.
Alakbarov said that over the past eighteen months, the Gross Domestic Product dropped by up to 35%, the cost of a basic food basket surged by 30%, and unemployment by 40%.
Moreover, nearly 75% of people’s income is now spent just on food.
UN continues to engage with Taliban government
Meanwhile, the United Nations continues to engage with the de facto Taliban government in the aftermath of edicts stopping girls from attending secondary school and female from working with local and international aid agencies.
Alakbarov noted that the Taliban have made exceptions for women’s participation in the education and health sectors following the visit by UN relief chief Martin Griffiths in February.
Alakbarov was queried about Taliban interference in aid delivery. He said distributions were halted in “severe cases”, which occurred in at least 2 provinces over the past 4 months. The delievries restarted once the issues were resolved. –APP
