UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres convened a high-level ministerial meeting in Geneva on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan on Monday and raised more than $1 billion in a bid to raise $606 million needed by December to keep aid programs for Afghans.
At the event, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced a USD 20 million allocation from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund to support the humanitarian operation in Afghanistan, saying the “de facto” authorities in the war-torn country have “pledged” to cooperate to ensure assistance is delivered to the people.
The United States has demanded written guarantees from the Taliban in return for supplying Afghanistan with humanitarian aid, Washington’s UN ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said at the conference.
“Words are not good enough. We must see action,” she said, stressing that the rights of aid organizations, women, and minorities are at stake.
“Humanitarian aid agencies cannot do their job if the Taliban do not uphold these core commitments and humanitarian principles,” Thomas-Greenfield added, addressing the conference via video link.
She announced new US aid of almost 64 million dollars.
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.
After decades of war, suffering, and insecurity, Afghans are facing “perhaps their most perilous hour”, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday in his opening remarks to a conference in Geneva seeking aid for Afghanistan, adding that “the people of Afghanistan need a lifeline.
“The people of Afghanistan are facing a humanitarian calamity. This is the time for the international community to extend a lifeline and do everything we can – and everything we owe – to help them hold on to hope, “ he added.
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.
Griffiths also mentioned his visit to Kabul last week where he met with the Taliban leadership, and they discussed and agreed on several important issues.“We have received assurances in writing subsequently, he presented as below:
1. We assure you that we will remove previous and current impediments in front of your assistance and all related projects working under supervision of UN and other international organizations in Afghanistan, and all partners will be fully allowed to help the vulnerable people in Afghanistan in the current situation.
2. We will protect life, property and honour of the humanitarian workers and will remove hurdles in front of them.
3. We will safeguard sanctity of the compounds of the United Nations and all other humanitarian organizations and will draft a mechanism on the basis of mutual consent.
4. We have made it clear in all public forums that we are committed to all rights of women, rights of minorities and principles of freedom of expression in the light of religion and culture, therefore we once again reiterate our commitment and will gradually take concrete steps with the help of the international community.
The letter also includes the Taliban’s requests for international support in a number of areas to include reconstruction, counter-narcotics programmes, the need for economic assistance, the return of Afghans on a safe basis and a number of other factors, he added.
It was the first donor conference since the militant Islamist movement took power in August. Many states made it clear in Geneva on Monday that they were not attaching any conditions to their short-term humanitarian support.
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