UN's World Food Program vows to remain in Afghanistan

Story by  IANS | Posted by  Aasha Khosa | Date 30-04-2023
An Afghan woman takes home a bag of flour given by the UN Food programme
An Afghan woman takes home a bag of flour given by the UN Food programme

 

Kabul

The UN's World Food Programme has committed to carrying out its duty in Afghanistan regardless of any political divide as the humanitarian catastrophe continues worsening under the harsh Taliban administration, reported Khaama Press on Saturday.

Hsiao-Wei Lee, the head of the UN World Food Programme in Afghanistan, stated on Thursday this week in Berlin, Germany, that the organization had no plans to leave the country, as the people of Afghanistan continue to live miserably.

"Humanitarian aid is vital to most vulnerable people, including women, children and people with disabilities," she said.

Earlier, the UNICEF representative in Afghanistan remarked that the organisation supports Afghan mothers and children despite all difficulties.

The UNICEF representative in Afghanistan estimates that 28 million people in Afghanistan, including 15 million children, need humanitarian aid and protective support, Khaama Press reported.

Earlier in January the World Food Programme underlined that an estimated 875,000 children are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition in 2023 in Afghanistan, TOLOnews reported. The WFP report also stated that 2.3 million children as well as 840,000 women are also on the verge of suffering from moderate acute malnutrition.

The economic and political situation of Afghanistan has only gone worse since the Taliban took control of the country in mid-August of 2021.

Afghanistan is currently grappling with a serious humanitarian crisis as according to international assessments, the country now has the highest number of people in emergency food insecurity in the world.

Additionally, the Ukraine crisis has had a massive impact on the rise in food costs and how it was out of reach for many Afghans. Afghan children and women are impacted the most by the atrocities that the Taliban has unleashed in the country since taking control.

The de facto government forbade the UN relief workers from working, which caused a global outcry, Khaama Press reported. The UN organisations encouraged the Taliban to remove the ban on women working for humanitarian organisations, arguing that it would be challenging to aid the nation without female assistance.