The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
STORYLINE
As winter arrives in Afghanistan, and with “truly unprecedented levels” of hunger, avoiding widespread starvation “is an immediate priority”, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on Friday.
“It's a crisis of hunger and starvation. People don't have enough to eat, and it's very visible,” said Babar Baloch UNHCR spokesperson, as the organization launched a global fundraising winter campaign to help forcibly displaced families in Afghanistan and elsewhere to cope with the most life-threatening months of the year.
Speaking in Geneva following his recent return from Kabul, Mr. Baloch pointed out that a lack of insulated shelters, warm clothes, insufficient food, fuel for heating, and medical supplies are just some of the deprivations confronting forcibly displaced people.
With temperatures “expected to drop to minus 25C, many displaced families lack proper shelter – a primary requirement if they are to survive the bitter cold,” he said.
UNHCR is appealing for much more support for 3.5 million people displaced by conflict inside Afghanistan, including 700,000 who were displaced in 2021.
According to Mr. Baloch, nearly 23 million people, or 55 per cent of the population, are facing extreme levels of hunger, and nearly nine million of them are at risk of famine. This year, some 700,000 displaced people across the country have been assisted by UNHCR, the majority since mid-August.
The UN agency is assisting nearly 60,000 people every week. “But as we reach thousands of people, we find thousands more people who are in need of humanitarian assistance, Mr. Baloch explained, before appealing for “further resources for the most vulnerable, like single mothers with no shelter or food for their children” or older persons who have been displaced are left to take care of orphaned grandchildren, and those taking care of loved ones with special needs.
The UNHCR spokesperson noted that relief supplies have been brought in by the agency’s teams by road through Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries and humanitarian flights.
Five more flights carrying winter supplies are scheduled for next week, Mr. Baloch said, reiterating that support to cope with the extreme conditions will continue until February 2022, including core relief items, such as thermal blankets and warm winter clothing. Shelters are also being repaired and reinforced, and vulnerable families are being provided with cash assistance.
ends
STORY: UNHCR Afghanistan Winter Campaign
TRT: 3’03”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 3 December 2021, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
1. Exterior wide shot, United Nations flags flying.
2. Medium shot, press conference room (B-128), showing speakers and a technician supervising briefing on Zoom.
3. SOUNDBITE (English): UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), spokesperson, Babar Baloch: “The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is certainly not going away. It’s just increasing and multiplying in its scale. Today we're highlighting the need for displaced Afghans during the winter months. UNHCR, the UN Rfugee Agency, is appealing for much more support amid acute and rising humanitarian needs for some 3.5 million people displaced by conflict only inside Afghanistan.”
4. Medium shot, Mr. Baloch delivering his speech, a large-screen TV showing the press briefing being broadcast on Zoom.
5. SOUNDBITE (English): UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), spokesperson, Babar Baloch: “This figure includes some 700’000 that were displaced during this year in 2021 so far. A lack of insulated shelters, warm clothes, insufficient fuel for heating and inadequate amounts of food and medical supplies are just some of the deprivations that the forcibly displaced are facing in Afghanistan. As temperatures begin to plunge below freezing, being in Kabul and other parts of the country in the night, it's already either already below zero or near zero.”
6. Medium shot, a journalist taking notes of the briefing.
7. SOUNDBITE (English): UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), spokesperson, Babar Baloch: “Temperatures are expected to drop to minus 25 Celsius, and many displaced families lack proper shelters, a primary requirement if they are to survive the bitter cold in Afghanistan. The humanitarian crisis is escalating daily in Afghanistan. Hunger in the country has reached truly unprecedented levels. Nearly 23 million people, that's 55 per cent of the population (who) are facing extreme levels of hunger, and nearly nine million of them are at risk of famine.”
8. Medium shot, journalists attending the press conference and a technician supervising the Zoom meeting.
9. SOUNDBITE (English): UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), spokesperson, Babar Baloch: “Currently, we are able to reach nearly 60’000 people every week. But as we reach thousands of people, we find thousands of people more who are in need of humanitarian assistance. Further resources are urgently needed for the most vulnerable, like single mothers with no shelter or food for their children.”
10. Close-up of participant, podium speakers in the background.
11. SOUNDBITE (English): UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), spokesperson, Babar Baloch: “And it's a race against time, not only catching up to reach more people but also finding more people in Afghanistan that that need our support. And it's a crisis of hunger and starvation. People don't have enough to eat, and it's very visible.”
12. Close-up of podium speakers in profile.
13. Medium shot of journalists taking notes and watching.
14. Medium shot of participant.
15. Medium shot of technician.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UNESCO
UNESCO protects cultural sites in war-torn Middle East, confirming damage to key heritage.
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
The war in Gaza has inflicted a far higher toll on women and girls than in previous conflicts in the Palestinian enclave, with more than 38,000 killed by Israeli air bombardment and land military operations since Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel sparked the war in October 2023, UN Women said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR
In 2025, nearly 900 Rohingya refugees were reported missing or dead in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal, making it the deadliest year on record in South and Southeast Asia, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNFPA , IFRC
Lebanon faces escalating violence, with new mothers uncertain of safety amid ongoing crises.
1
1
1
Edited News | FAO , UNHCR , WHO
Sudan: 14 million displaced; hunger and attacks on health continue as war enters fourth year
As Sudan approaches the third anniversary of a brutal civil war, millions remain displaced and hungry while the health system lies in ruins, with no end to the violence in sight, UN agencies said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNHCR , WFP
Lebanon: People ‘still under the rubble’ after massive strikes as ambulances, hospitals come under threat – UN humanitarians
With Lebanon still reeling from Israel’s devastating airstrikes on 8 April, UN humanitarians reported new fears of attacks on ambulances and looming food shortages in the south of the country on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , WHO
Lebanon: disease risks on the rise as displacement surges
With displacement in Lebanon past the one million mark, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday about the spread of infectious diseases in shelters and surging mental health needs.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
UN peacekeepers are supporting civilians who’ve chosen to stay in the south amid deadly dangers from Israel-Hezbollah clashes, UNIFIL spokesperson Kandace Ardiel tells us.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , WFP
Middle East war fallout: Hundreds of thousands flee Lebanon to Syria; vital food aid blocked – UN agencies
The trauma of mass displacement and humanitarian supply chain disruptions throughout the world are among the devastating impacts of the war raging in the Middle East, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA
Bitterness, sadness and pride for UNRWA staff, says departing chief
Asking the softly spoken, veteran humanitarian worker Philippe Lazzarini how he feels as he comes to the end of his second term as the head of the UN agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, is perhaps an unfair question.
1
1
1
Edited News | IFRC , UN WOMEN , UNHCR , UNICEF , WHO
Middle East war causes civilian terror and disrupts aid, but some relief efforts resume.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk addressed the Human Rights Council, delivering a video statement on the strike that hit a girls school in Minab, Iran recently, calling for accountability and protection of children.