The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News , Press Conferences | UNICEF , UNHCR , OCHA
UNHCR/OCHA/UNICEF Virtual Press Conference - Presentation of the Regional Refugee Preparedness and Response Plan for Afghanistan - 27 August 2021
Around 500,000 new Afghan refugees are expected in the region by the end of the year, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said on Friday, at the presentation of the Regional Preparedness and Emergency Plan for Afghan Refugees. Appealing to all countries neighbouring Afghanistan to keep their borders open to those seeking to escape the intensifying crisis, the agency envisaged this number as “a worst-case scenario”. Based on an analysis of ongoing social, economic, political and the security situation, “the purpose of the figures is to enable us to plan and preposition important assistance so that urgent interventions can be scaled up quickly, efficiently as possible and if needed” Kelly Clements, Deputy High Commissioner, UNHCR said.
The plan is seeking a total of $299 million dollars to support the activities of UN agencies this year, including the UNHCR, the World Food Program and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), as well as NGOs, with which the United Nations works. “This is about contingency planning. It is not the actual response,” said Ms Clements. “Increased and immediate funding will allow us to preposition core relief items and be ready for emergency interventions”. The UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner emphasized that significant movements across borders are not yet taking place and that the greatest needs remain inside the country, where the impacts of the conflict have been compounded by a severe drought and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We know that growing insecurity and violence this year alone has displaced more than half a million Afghans, 80 per cent of whom are women and children,” Ms Clements said. Najeeba Wazedafost, CEO Asia Pacific Refugee Network described the situation over the past week in Afghanistan as “heartbreaking”. APNOR has received “a vast amount of calls to our Afghan crisis helpline where people have been reporting executions, beatings and clampdown on media and radio stations' '. She added that the Taliban have been carrying out “door to door searches, targeted killings and looting in the capital,” as well as attacking thousands of schools, hospitals and homes.
“All roads leading to and going out of the cities are being closed by the Taliban,” and “hospitals have nearly reached full capacity,” she said. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) added their voice to the call for funding. “At the beginning of this year, we estimated that around 18 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance,” Wafaa Saeed Abdelatef, Director, Coordination Division, UN OCHA: said, describing it as a “staggering number”. She warned that “a lot has happened and we expect that these needs have actually increased, compounded by conflict, compounded by drought and by Covid-19”. Ms Abdelatef said “flexible funding” needs to be scaled up urgently “ because the level of supplies are being stretched and because winter is coming”.
TRT: 02:33”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 27 August 2021, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
1.Exterior wide shot, United Nations flag flying.
- SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Kelly Clements, Deputy High Commissioner, UNHCR:
“ We are preparing for around 500 thousand new refugees in the region, this is a worst case scenario. Our planning figures are based on an analysis of ongoing social, economic, political and the security situation. The purpose of the figures is to enable us to plan and preposition important assistance so that urgent interventions can be scaled up quickly, efficiently as possible and if needed”.
3.Exterior mid shot, United Nations flag flying
- SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Kelly Clements, Deputy High Commissioner, UNHCR: “ Increased and immediate funding will allow us to preposition core relief items and be ready for emergency interventions.
5.Exterior wide shot, United Nations flag flying
- SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Wafaa Saeed Abdelatef, Director, Coordination Division, UN OCHA: “Starting by the humanitarian situation at the beginning of this year, we estimated that around 18 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. This is almost half the population and it is a staggering number. And this was at the beginning of the year. So as we speak now, a lot has happened and we expect that these needs have actually increased. And this humanitarian needs are coming from decades of conflict, compounded by drought and by covid-19”.
7.Exterior mid shot, United Nations flag flying
8.SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Wafaa Saeed Abdelatef, Director, Coordination Division, UN OCHA: ”We remain short of 800 million dollars. This is needed urgently because the level of supply now are being stretched, because also we are coming to winter and we need there is also not only the scale of the funding, but the urgency of the funding and we need these funds to be flexible”.
9.Exterior wide shot, United Nations flag flying
- SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Najeeba Wazedafost, CEO Asia Pacific Refugee Network:”For us in APNOR, it has been quite heartbreaking, especially in the past week, receiving a vast amount of calls to our Afghan crisis helpline where people have been reporting executions and beatings and clampdown on medias and radio stations. They've been reporting to us about Taliban's, you know, door to door searches, targeted killings and looting in the capital. And again, we've been hearing about schools and hospitals and thousands of homes being attacked. All roads leading to and going out of the cities are being closed by the Taliban. Hospitals, as we already heard, have nearly reached full capacity and really can no longer accept patients”.
11.Exterior wide shot, United Nations flag flying
- SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Kelly Clements, Deputy High Commissioner, UNHCR: “So it's really prepositioning and what I want to underscore about this particular plan. This is about planning and contingency planning. It is not the actual response”.
- Exterior wide shot, United Nations flag flying.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL , UNFPA , IOM , UNHCR
As the UN Secretary-General touched down in Beirut on Friday in solidarity with the people of Lebanon, UN agencies highlighted the dangers for civilians and particularly pregnant women and migrant workers, amid ongoing airstrikes and rocket fire between Hezbollah fighters and Israel.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | HRC , IOM , UNFPA , UNHCR , UNIFIL
Rolando Gómez, Chief of the Press and External Relations at the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations Population Fund, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Refugee Agency, and the Human Rights Council.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OHCHR
"Counter-terrorism abuses challenging the international order" (definition of terrorism, use of force under the pretext of counter-terrorism, narco-terrorism)
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | HRC
Russia’s deportations of Ukrainian children amount to crimes against humanity: independent UN rights probe
Scores of Ukrainian children are still missing after being deported far and wide across Russia and occupied territories while their families continue to search for them, human rights investigators said on Thursday.
2
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences | OCHA
The UN’s emergency relief chief on Wednesday condemned the “$1 billion-a-day” cost of the war roiling the Middle East, at a time of severe cuts to the global body’s humanitarian work in emergencies and “soaring” needs.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | HRC
Press conference with the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua following the release of their report to the 61st session of the Human Rights Council.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , WHO , UNHCR , UNICEF , WFP
Middle East war: UN warns of ‘toxic rain’ danger from oil depot strikes as mass displacement, aid supply shocks spread
Toxic “black rain” linked to strikes on oil depots, mass displacement and continuing disruption to humanitarian supply chains are upending lives across the Middle East and beyond after 10 days of war in the region, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNRISD , UNECE , UNHCR , WHO , OHCHR , UNDP , WFP
Rolando Gómez, Chief of the Press and External Relations at the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Refugee Agency, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the World Food Programme, the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, and the United Nations Development Programme.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | IPU
IPU report discusses women in parliament, featuring speakers Martin Chungong and Mariana Mutzenberg.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani on Friday made the following remarks on Israel’s military ground incursions and displacement orders in Lebanon.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , IOM , WHO
The escalating war in the Middle East has heightened growing concerns about further civilian suffering and displacement in the region and far beyond, UN agencies said on Friday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | IOM , OHCHR , UNHCR , WHO
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Refugee Agency, the World Health Organization, the International Organization for Migration, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.