Griffiths cautioned that by the middle of next year, universal poverty – reaching 97 per cent of the population – could be “the next grim milestone”. The cost of wheat and fuel are up by around 40 per cent and food now accounts for more than 80 per cent of the average household expenditure.Īnd as international development support has frozen up, basic social services that all Afghans depend on are collapsing. “Families simply do not have the cash for everyday transactions, while prices for key commodities continue to rise”. “This step should be followed by reprogramming of the whole fund to support the Afghan people this winter”, he said. The UN official welcomed the decision by the World Bank’s Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund to transfer $280 million by the end of December to the UN Children’s Fund ( UNICEF) and the World Food Programme ( WFP). “The need for liquidity and stabilization of the banking system is now urgent – not only to save the lives of the Afghan people but also to enable humanitarian organizations to respond”, he said. Moreover, this is occurring as the value of the Afghani currency plummets, a lack of confidence in the financial sector destroys trade and the space for borrowing and investment dramatically constricts. NRC global media hotline: +47 905 62 329.Speaking virtually to the 17th Extraordinary Session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in Islamabad, Pakistan, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths painted a grim picture of 23 million people facing hunger malnourished children overflowing in health facilities 70 per cent of teachers working without salaries and millions of students – Afghanistan’s future – out of school.
#AFGHANISTAN ECONOMIC FREEFALL. IT NEEDS DOWNLOAD#
Video b-roll of Jan Egeland in displacement sites in Kabul speaking with families is available free to use here.He will also meet with the authorities to discuss humanitarian needs and access. While there, he will meet with displaced families in settlements in the city. Jan Egeland arrived in Kabul on 26 September and will depart on 28 September.The United Nations flash aid appeal for Afghanistan calls for nearly US$606 million to help people in need but has only been 20 per cent funded.Fighting across the country has claimed the lives of over 40,000 people since 2009.Over 93 per cent of households consumed insufficient food in the past week, according to the latest WFP phone surveys. 1 in 3 Afghans acutely hungry, according to the World Food Programme.Some 664,000 people have been displaced by the latest violence since January, bringing the total number of internally displaced people to more than 3.5 million.Over 18 million people rely on humanitarian aid to survive.The country is on a countdown to economic collapse – we must support the Afghan people no matter what.” “Donors must focus on providing fast and efficient solutions to delivering urgent aid for children, women and men that simply cannot wait any longer. Otherwise, their promises to continue supporting the Afghan people will be empty. This means exploring new and existing mechanisms, whether by channelling international funding through UN trust funds or through humanitarian organisations as an interim measure. “UN member states must urgently broker a multilateral agreement to stabilise the economy, fund appropriate public services and address the liquidity crisis. Imagine this situation multiplied for every employer across the country.
#AFGHANISTAN ECONOMIC FREEFALL. IT NEEDS FULL#
We have been unable to pay staff their full salaries because it has been impossible to securely get money into the country. “Our own staff tell me they are struggling to withdraw cash to buy food or access their savings from banks. Already, one in three Afghans do not know where their next meal will come from. Hundreds of thousands of displaced people urgently need shelter, warm clothes and food in the coming weeks. “We are in a race against the clock to save lives before the harsh winter arrives and temperatures drop to as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius.
Dealing with the liquidity crisis is critical as aid organisations seek to scale up to meet urgent humanitarian needs. “If the economy collapses, even the most basic services will no longer function, and humanitarian needs will soar even higher. I’ve spoken to families who tell me they are surviving on tea and small scraps of old bread. The formal banking system could collapse any day now because of a lack of cash. “Afghanistan’s economy is spiralling out of control.
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