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
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | HRC
Launch of the latest report of the Sudan Fact-Finding Mission.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Ukraine: ‘Relentless’ attacks rattle health system as winter approaches: WHO
Ambulances attacked, chronically ill patients lacking care and no peace in sight: for millions of Ukrainians, the run-up to another winter of war is just the latest life-or-death challenge they face, the UN health agency (WHO) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | IFRC , OCHA , WHO , IOM , UNICEF
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the Geneva Press Briefing with the participation of spokespersons from IFRC, WHO, OCHA, IOM and UNICEF.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Monday delivered his report on Sri Lanka to the 60th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Monday delivered his global update to the 60th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
A UN report on the Democratic Republic of Congo raises specter of war crimes and crimes against humanity in North and South Kivu, according to UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | IFRC , OHCHR
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives from the International Organization for Migration, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the World Meteorological Organization, the World Health Organization, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
1
1
1
Edited News | WMO
As billions of people continue to breathe polluted air that causes more than 4.5 million premature deaths every year, UN climate experts on Friday highlighted how damaging microscopic smoke particles from wildfires play their part, travelling half-way across the world.
2
3
2
Press Conferences | WMO
Launch of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)'s Air Quality and Climate Bulletin 2024.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OHCHR
The UN disability rights committee (CRPD) presented the findings of its 33rd session on DPRK, Finland, Kiribati, Maldives and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | HRC
UN Human Rights Council President Ambassador Jürg Lauber briefs the press in Geneva ahead of the Council's 60th session.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Office Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence made the following comment on the on-going presidential election process in Cameroon at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.