Sunday, 21st July 2024.
Author. Charles Opendi.
Story by; Akmal Dawi. Voanew.com. March 25, 2024 3:18 PM
Credit to voanews.com- Afghan women receive food rations distributed by a humanitarian aid group, in Kabul, Afghanistan, May 28, 2023.
Summary
"Numbers don't lie" as quoted by Max Holloway. In the Aids and policy analysis made by the Humanitarian News on 17th July 2024 tearing and devastating 23.7 million People in Afghanistan were in need of assistance, more than half the population; 12.4 million people food insecure, including 4 million acutely malnourished, most of whom are children. This is out of the population of about 44.5 Million Afghans as of 2024.
Background
For the first time since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban officially attended a UN-led meeting focused on engagement between its Islamic Emirate government and the outside world. The meeting, held at the end of June in Qatar, came shortly after high-level US diplomats indicated they were open to greater engagement despite serious lingering concerns over the rights being afforded to Afghan women and girls. The Taliban hope such meetings will edge them closer to formal recognition, the lifting of sanctions, and the return from the US and the UK of billions of dollars in Afghan Central Bank assets. The need for more engagement – not just from governments, but also from international aid groups – is urgent as Afghanistan represents one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, and the situation is only getting worse. For much of the last year, Pakistan and Iran have been deporting hundreds of thousands of Afghans en masse, adding to a long-term internal displacement crisis compounded by an economic collapse and rising poverty.
Current situation.
The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has shown preliminary signs of improvement, with the United Nations reporting a significant reduction in the number of people in need of assistance.
Afghanistan's economic collapse in 2021, triggered by the government's disintegration, the Taliban takeover, and the subsequent withdrawal of foreign aid, left the landlocked country in crisis.
For two years, aid agencies have warned of mass starvation and famine.
Last year, the U.N. reported that more than 29 million Afghans desperately needed assistance. Despite Afghanistan’s population growing to an estimated 44.5 million, the number of those in need of assistance has since declined to 23.7 million this year.
“In Afghanistan, a fragile progress has tenuously stabilized conditions, reducing immediate needs,” the U.N. Global Humanitarian Overview 2024 states.
The reported decrease in humanitarian needs has led to a significant reduction in the U.N.-led Afghanistan appeal, from $4.6 billion in 2023 to $3.07 billion this year. Aid agencies, however, warn that the situation remains fragile. “Although the numbers have improved, the situation is still terrible,” said Becky Roby, advocacy manager with the Norwegian Refugee Council. The economic stabilization is at an “unacceptably low level and most households remain extremely vulnerable to shocks,” Roby told VOA.
References
The Humanitarian News. Aid and Policy Analysis ,17 July 2024. Why these 10 humanitarian crises still demand your attention. Beyond Gaza and Ukraine, emergency aid needs are going unmet in these neglected hotspots around the globe. https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2024/07/17/why-these-10-humanitarian-crises-still-demand-your-attention
Vao News. March 25, 2024. Humanitarian Needs in Afghanistan Improve Slightly, Millions Still in Crisis. https://www.voanews.com/a/humanitarian-needs-in-afghanistan-improve-slightly-millions-still-in-crisis/7542014.html
Full story. voanews.com.
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