The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News | UNHCR , UNOG , UNITED NATIONS
Bi-Weekly Press Briefing: Afghanistan - Humanitarian Needs - UNHCR
Amidst a growing humanitarian crisis where hundreds of thousands of Afghan people are displaced and with winter quickly approaching, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) on Tuesday warned of “a race against time” to reach each and every individual with life-saving aid and preposition supplies ahead of winter.
Speaking via a videoconference from Kabul to a press briefing at the United Nations in Geneva, UNCHR’s spokesperson Babar Baloch said that “we need to scale up to kind of win this race against time. If you are not able to reach many people, the consequences can really be dire”.
According to UNHCR, half of the population, nearly 20 million Afghans, rely on humanitarian assistance and those needs are rising day by day.
During last week, UNHCR assisted some 40,000 displaced Afghans with solar panels, blankets, and warm clothes for the most vulnerable ones. “It’s a race against time for us to reach each and every individual and let's not forget: I mean, Afghanistan is among one of the world's worst humanitarian emergencies in the world with millions of people requiring relief including more than 3.5 million people forced to leave their homes because of insecurity,” Baloch said.
Before the Taliban takeover in August, Afghanistan’s fragile economy had been kept afloat by foreign aid for the past 20 years. Currently, the country’s assets are frozen and development aid paused. “Afghanistan needs an injection of cash in that sense on the basis of humanitarian consideration that what is happening inside the country,” stated UNHCR’s Baloch. “It is at a breaking point in terms of services and its economy, and that collapse has to be avoided at all costs.”
UNHCR is establishing a dedicated logistics hub for Afghanistan. The first of three flights is scheduled to arrive by the end of this week to bring in much-needed supplies from Uzbekistan which will then be trucked into Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan’s fourth biggest city.
The UN Refugee agency plans to reach this week an additional 60,000 people among the more than half a million displaced people. As temperature dip to near-freezing at night and with winter fast approaching, time is of the essence.
“The window is actually closing by every day in terms of the time we have to reach more and more (people),” Baloch said. “Let's not forget, winter in Afghanistan is harsh. Winter in Afghanistan can kill. If people do not have the resources and if you end up being under the open skies, it is really merciless.”
UNHCR continues to appeal to have unimpeded humanitarian access all around the country and to all the people in need. In terms of collaboration with the authorities on the ground, the agency’s Baloch said that “we rely on them for our security, there are encouraging signs in that sense, and they have been kind of highlighting to us the needs of the people on the ground as we go and do more assessments and bring in more supplies.”
G20 leaders and ministers will meet today by videoconference to discuss a UN proposal to channel funds to Afghanistan to ease its worsening humanitarian catastrophe. It will be the first meeting of the world’s richest countries to discuss the consequences of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban takeover on 15 August.
-ends –
- Exterior wide shot, United Nations flag flying.
- Medium shot, inside the press conference room, showing the speakers and Mr. Baloch on large-screen TV in the foreground.
- SOUNDBITE (English): UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)’s spokesperson, Babar Baloch: “We need to scale up to kind of win this race against time. If you are not able to reach many people, the consequences can really be dire.”
- Medium shot, TV Cameraman masked, attending the press conference.
- SOUNDBITE (English): UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)’s spokesperson, Babar Baloch: “It’s a race against time for us to reach each and every individual and let's not forget: I mean, Afghanistan is among one of the world's worst humanitarian emergencies in the world with millions of people requiring relief including more than 3.5 million people forced to leave their homes because of insecurity.”
- Medium shot, journalists seated and masked taking notes.
- SOUNDBITE (English): UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)’s spokesperson, Babar Baloch: “Afghanistan needs an injection of cash in that sense on the basis of humanitarian consideration that what is happening inside the country. It is at a breaking point in terms of services and its economy, and that collapse has to be avoided at all costs.”
- Medium shot, two journalists masked watching the press conference on their laptops, large-screen TV showing Mrs. Vellucci to rear.
- SOUNDBITE (English): UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)’s spokesperson, Babar Baloch: “The window is actually closing by every day in terms of the time we have to reach more and more (people). Let's not forget, winter in Afghanistan is harsh. Winter in Afghanistan can kill. If people do not have the resources and if you end up being under the open skies, it is really merciless.”
- Medium shot, audience in the press conference room taking notes.
- SOUNDBITE (English): UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)’s spokesperson, Babar Baloch: “We rely on them for our security, there are encouraging signs in that sense, and they have been kind of highlighting to us the needs of the people on the ground as we go and do more assessments and bring in more supplies.”
- Close shot, journalists masked taking notes.
- Close shot of the hand of one of the journalists.
- Medium shot, journalists attending the meeting, press briefing broadcast on Zoom in the foreground.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani on Tuesday made the following remarks on the current situation in the Middle-East.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNHCR , WFP
Schoolgirls killed, thousands displaced, aid routes compromised: UN humanitarians deplore effects of new Middle East war
On the fourth day of Israeli and United States airstrikes against Iran and amid growing violence and instability in the Middle East, the UN urgently called for protection of civilians and warned of growing displacement and humanitarian needs.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM
Well over 1.3 million people have fled Sudan’s ongoing war for South Sudan, the UN migration agency, IOM, reported on Friday, amid rising violence and a massive humanitarian emergency linked to the country’s political crisis.
2
1
2
Statements , Conferences , Edited News | HRC , OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday presented to the 61st Human Rights Council his global update on the human rights situation.
2
1
2
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Thursday presented to the UN Human Rights Council a new report on the human rights situation in occupied Palestinian territory.
2
1
2
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Thursday briefed the Human Rights Council in Geneva on the human rights situation in Sudan: “Nearly three years of brutal conflict have almost turned Sudan into a land of despair. The report I am presenting today is yet another chapter in the chronicle of cruelty. It outlines clear, ongoing patterns of violence against civilians, including killings, rape, and torture. As the fighting has intensified, violations of international law by all parties to the conflict have surged, while accountability has remained practically absent,” he said.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Thursday told the Human Rights Council in Geneva today: “Afghanistan is a graveyard for human rights. The cascade of edicts and laws announced by the de facto authorities since coming to power in 2021 is having a crushing impact on the Afghan people, particularly women and girls.”
3
1
Edited News | UNITED NATIONS , OCHA , UNHCR
Ukraine enters fifth year of war: Attacks and displacement deepen human suffering amid mounting recovery challenges
On the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, UN officials took stock of the immense human and economic toll of the conflict while appealing to the world to “never get used to war.”
2
27
2
2
Edited News , Press Conferences , Images | General Assembly , UNITED NATIONS
The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops on 24 February 2022 shattered the peaceful aspirations of an entire continent, but war must never be the new normal, UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock said on Tuesday.
1
48
1
1
Edited News | UNOG
A ceremony marking the completion of the construction of the Portail des Nations, a soon-to-open visitors centre for the UN in Geneva, was held today for diplomats from around the world who have gathered in the Swiss city for the opening session of the Human Rights Council.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Monday delivered his opening remarks to the 61str session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
1
10
1
1
Edited News | HRC , SG
In Geneva, delegates from more than 120 countries gathered on Monday to mark 20 years of the UN Human Rights Council and a shared commitment to international law, amid runaway global instability and conflict, amid runaway global instability and conflict.