The United Nations called for more than $600 million in funding for Afghanistan on September 13, 2021. After the Taliban seized control and Western donors cut aid funds due to concerns about Islamist hardliners, the hunger and poverty problems in Afghanistan are deepening.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated at a donor conference in Geneva that after decades of war and insecurity, Afghans are facing “probably their most dangerous moment. "And with the Taliban coming to power last month, the United States and the Allied forces withdrew in chaos.

"The Afghan people need a lifeline." Mr. Guterres said. "Now is the time for the international community to stand with them." In the middle of Monday's meeting, Mr. Guterres stated that he had pledged more than $1 billion to Afghanistan, but it was not clear how much of it would be used. Urgent appeal to the United Nations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that as part of the appeal, the UAE has committed to directly launch a humanitarian project worth US$50 million in Afghanistan.

Mr. Guterres did not mention the Taliban by name, but stated that he has been in contact with the new "de facto authorities" in Afghanistan, and he said they pledged to "cooperate to ensure assistance to the Afghan people." He added: “The international community must find ways to provide cash to allow the Afghan economy to breathe-a total collapse will have devastating consequences for the people and may destabilize neighboring countries due to large-scale capital outflows.”

The Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, depriving women of almost all their rights. They were overthrown in an invasion led by the United States in 2001, but with the collapse of the Western-backed Kabul government and the departure of the last Western troops, they returned to power last month. Western donors cut the cash flow of the country’s new rulers, who returned to power and ordered women to stay at home and prohibited girls from entering classrooms. Despite this, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas stated that after 20 years of NATO’s participation, international donors have a “moral obligation” to continue to help Afghans.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield (Linda Thomas-Greenfield) stated that the United States is providing Afghanistan with nearly $64 million in new humanitarian support. She said: "Let us commit today to meet this urgent appeal for financial support, to stand with humanitarian workers as they carry out their most important work, and to strengthen humanitarian operations in Afghanistan so that we can save The life of the Afghan is needed."

Afghanistan’s neighbors China and Pakistan have already provided help. Beijing announced on September 10, 2021 that it will deliver food and medical supplies worth US$31 million to Afghanistan. Pakistan delivered edible oil, medicines and other supplies to the authorities in Kabul and called for the defrosting of Kabul’s assets. "You cannot repeat the same mistakes." Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmoud Qureshi said. "The Afghan people cannot be abandoned." Even before the Taliban occupied Kabul last month, half of the population, about 18 million people, depended on aid. United Nations officials and aid organizations say that this number looks set to increase due to drought and shortages of cash and food.

The United Nations World Food Program will use about one-third of the $606 million it seeks. The program found that 93% of the 1,600 Afghans it recently surveyed were hungry due to rising food prices. "Now is a race against time and snow to provide life-saving assistance to the Afghan people who need it most," said Anthea Weber, the agency's regional deputy director. "We are actually begging and borrowing to avoid running out of food stocks." Philippe Grandi, head of the UN refugee agency, said that soon, the displaced population may already be in other parts of Afghanistan than the 500,000 estimated in 2021. The number of people seeking asylum is much higher.

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Although the country is battling Covid-19 and countless health crises, the World Health Organization is seeking to support hundreds of vulnerable medical centers after donors withdraw.Editor/XuNing