Original Title: United Nations: Half of Afghanistan’s Population Faces a Record Famine and Urgently Needs Humanitarian Aid Source: China News Network
China News Service, October 26. According to a report on the United Nations website on the 25th, a new assessment released by the United Nations showed that the combined impact of drought, conflict, the new crown epidemic and the economic crisis has caused more than half of Afghanistan’s population to face record-breaking severe hunger. . Relevant agencies call on the international community to work together and take swift action to resolve this serious crisis.
On August 28, local time, vendors set up stalls to sell goods at a market in the center of Kabul, Afghanistan.
The arrival of winter in Afghanistan’s food problem worsens
According to the report, the latest analysis jointly led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Food Program shows that the lives, livelihoods and access to food of 22.8 million people will be severely affected.
FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said: “We urgently need to take effective action to speed up and expand our food delivery speed in Afghanistan before traffic in most parts of Afghanistan is blocked in winter, so as not to cause millions of people, including farmers and women. , Young children and the elderly starve in the cold winter. This is a matter of life and death.”
The report found that from November to March during the off-season, more than half of Afghans will face a third-level crisis or a fourth-level emergency of severe food insecurity, which requires an emergency response from the international community to prevent humanitarian disasters. happened.
Qu Dongyu said: “We cannot wait and witness the humanitarian disaster unfolding before us. This is unacceptable.”
Unrealized promises dying children
According to reports, this report is the largest number of people facing severe food insecurity recorded by the United Nations in Afghanistan during the 10 years of this data analysis.
In addition, on a global scale, Afghanistan is one of the countries facing severe hunger.
David Beasley, Executive Director of the World Food Program, said: Hunger (the number) is on the rise and children are dying. “We cannot rely on promises to feed people, financial promises must be turned into tangible cash, and the international community must work together to resolve this crisis that is rapidly out of control.”
The report shows that since the April assessment, the number of people facing severe hunger in Afghanistan has increased by 37%.
Among those at risk, there are 3.2 million children under the age of 5. They are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition before the end of 2021.
In September, WFP and UNICEF warned that if life-saving treatment is not carried out immediately, 1 million children may die from severe acute malnutrition.
Are cities and rural areas not immune to migration or endure hunger?
According to the report, for the first time, the proportion of urban residents in Afghanistan suffering from food insecurity is similar to that of rural communities.
At the same time, rampant unemployment and liquidity crises are putting all major urban centers at risk of sliding into a food-insecure fourth-degree emergency, including the former middle-class population.
In rural areas, the severe impact of the second drought in four years continues to endanger the livelihoods of 7.3 million people who depend on agriculture and animal husbandry.
Beasley said that Afghanistan is now one of the most serious humanitarian crises in the world, and food security has almost collapsed.
He said that this winter, millions of Afghans will be forced to choose between migrating and suffering from hunger, unless the international community can strengthen life-saving assistance, unless the economy can recover.
A full-scale disaster is being staged. Humanitarian assistance is essential
According to reports, another “La Nina” phenomenon is about to occur, which may extend the drought period in 2021 to 2022. As Afghans face a winter with no jobs, no cash, and no prospects, immediate financial support is essential to meet the most basic humanitarian needs.
The report said that in order to meet the increasing demand, the United Nations will need to mobilize resources at an unprecedented level, but the United Nations humanitarian response plan is still only one-third of the funds in place.
Beasley emphasized: “We are at the countdown to disaster. If we do not take action now, we will face a complete disaster.”
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