The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
UN Press Conference: High-level Ministerial Meeting on Humanitarian Situation in Afghanistan
/
33:38
/
MP4
/
2.3 GB
Edited News , Press Conferences | OCHA , UNOG , UNITED NATIONS , WEF
UN Press Conference: High-level Ministerial Meeting on Humanitarian Situation in Afghanistan
STORY: Humanitarian Situation in Afghanistan – Secretary-General’s Press Conference
TRT: 2’09”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 13 Sept 2021, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Exterior wide shot, United Nations flag flying.
- Wide shot, conference room, journalists and TV cameras, UN Geneva.
- SOUNDBITE (English): UN Secretary-General António Guterres: “Today, we have already heard clearly more than $1 billion in pledges. It is impossible as I have said to say how much of this will be for the flash appeal, but in any case it represents a quantum leap in relation to the financial commitment of the international community towards the Afghan people.”
- Medium shot, journalists taking notes, masked.
- SOUNDBITE (English): UN Secretary-General António Guterres: “We are of course very much concerned in making sure that humanitarian assistance is an entry point for effective engagement with the Taliban in all other aspects of concern of the international community.”
- Medium shot, photographer and journalists with video cameras.
- SOUNDBITE (English): UN Secretary-General António Guterres: “Humanitarian aid will not solve the problem if the economy of Afghanistan collapses. And we know that the risk is enormous, and that there is a dramatic lack of cash.”
- Medium shot, journalist taking notes, masked and wearing headphones.
- SOUNDBITE (English): UN Secretary-General António Guterres: “The letter that we received: two documents; one was guaranteeing full humanitarian work of the UN and the respect by the Taliban to that full humanitarian work; and the second, that they are able to provide security and even escorts when there are situations of insecurity that would justify it. So not only there is an attitude of acceptance but there is an attitude of support.”
- Wide shot, journalists, podium to rear.
- Wide shot, photographer resting on knees, podium to rear.
- Medium shot, journalists conferring.
- Medium shot, journalists sitting one behind the other.
- Medium shot, flag alley.
- Wide shot, flag alley.
- Close, flag alley.
STORYLINE
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday hailed significant international financial support and solidarity with the people of Afghanistan at a flash appeal in Geneva, in which he appealed for a “lifeline” for the country’s most vulnerable people.
“Today, we have already heard clearly more than $1 billion in pledges…It represents a quantum leap in relation to the financial commitment of the international community towards the Afghan people,” said Mr. Guterres.
In an encounter with journalists on the sidelines of the high-level ministerial meeting in Geneva, Mr. Guterres noted that the fact that nearly 100 Member States had taken part - in addition to more than 30 regional and international organisations – underscored that the crisis in Afghanistan remained a crucial issue for the global community.
The UN top official also reiterated the importance of ensuring that assistance did not come at the expense of hard-won gains for women and minorities in Afghanistan in the last 20 years.
“We are of course very much concerned in making sure that humanitarian assistance is an entry point for effective engagement with the Taliban in all other aspects of concern of the international community,” he said, after appealing for $606 million to get urgent assistance to 11 million people for the next four months.
While immediate concerns have focused on the provision of emergency aid to avert a major humanitarian crisis in the country, Mr. Guterres warned that such assistance “will not solve the problem if the economy of Afghanistan collapses. And we know that the risk is enormous, and that there is a dramatic lack of cash.”
Pressed on the nature of the written assurances that the Taliban delivered in a letter to the UN over the weekend concerning aid assistance, the UN Secretary-General explained that there were in fact “two documents; one was guaranteeing full humanitarian work of the UN and the respect by the Taliban to that full humanitarian work; and the second, that they are able to provide security and even escorts when there are situations of insecurity that would justify it. So not only there is an attitude of acceptance but there is an attitude of support.”
It was also important to underline that the Taliban communiqué also appealed for international support for development, to combat the drug trade and security.
“There is a clear interest of the Taliban also to engage with the international community and I think this is what gives also the international community some leverage.”
Ends
Teleprompter
Hello everyone, thank you for coming to cover this **** level ministerial meeting on Afghanistan.
We are only halfway through the speakers, that's how popular it is.
It looks like a large number of ministers from the the world have come to show their support to the humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan and even to show their financial support.
So with no further ado, I'd like to give the floor to the Secretary General.
Martin Griffiths is also here to answer questions.
If any of you wish to direct questions, specific questions to him, the floor is yours, Mr Secretary General.
Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen of the media.
This conference has fully met my expectations in relation to the solidarity with the people of Afghanistan.
First of all, because of the massive level of participation, meaning that this is a matter that today mobilises the interests not only of governments around the world, but of international organisations and civil society.
We have 156 participants, of which 96 are Member States and half of them speaking at ministerial level.
We have 33 international and regional organisations and 22 international NGOs.
It is a level of participation that shows how much this is a crucial issue at the present moment for the international community.
Second, it's fully met my expectations because there was a unanimous support to the recognition that this is the moment to mobilise the international community to provide effective humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people in a moment in which the Afghan people is suffering the an enormous, A dramatic humanitarian situation.
And not only this was recognised by all the interventions, but also the idea that that humanitarian aid needs to be provided safely, needs to be provided in full respect of humanitarian principles, impartiality, neutrality, independence, needs based.
And at the same time with a particular concern in relation to the participation of women and girls and the rights of women and girls in the context of the programme of support and assistance to the Afghan people.
And 3rd, because there was a an extremely meaningful announcement of new commitments, new financial commitments, it is not possible to give you a figure about what was the amount.
Not all have spoken and what was the amount specifically for the flesh appeal.
But considering the flesh appeal, considering support to neighbouring countries and the other programmes that several countries mentioned today, we already heard clearly more than 1 billion U.S.
dollars of pledges.
It is impossible, as I said, to say how much of these will be for the flesh appeal.
But in any case, it represents a quantum leap in relation to the financial commitment of the international community towards the Afghan people.
But this conference is not an isolated act.
This comfort is part of a clear strategy of the United Nations to respond to the crisis in Afghanistan and in particular, to assume leadership in relation to humanitarian assistance.
I have to say that when I saw the tragic events that we all witnessed, the mass exodus, the chaos at the airport, the situation of panic that that was shown in all televisions around the world, even the pressure for many of our staff because they all see everybody living and expressing their own concerns.
I decided that the UN should stay and deliver.
With all the difficulties and all the unpredictable aspects of the, the, the future, the UN should stay and deliver.
And that UN should use its traditional presence in Afghanistan.
We are there since 47 and we were there in all moments, even during the other Taliban regime.
That UN should use its traditional presence in Afghanistan and its added value in humanitarian assistance to make humanitarian assistance the main vector of our intervention at the present moment.
And to do so, we organise the programme of actions that we are implementing at the present moment.
First, it's impossible to provide humanitarian assistance inside Afghanistan without engaging with the facto authorities of the country.
And I do believe that it is very important to engage with the Taliban at the present moment for all aspects that concern the international community, be it about terrorism, be it about human rights, be it about drugs, be it about the nature of the government.
So our attitude is to engage.
And so Martin Griffith went to Kabul, if you can see there that another secretary general is in protocol terms equivalent to a minister.
It was the first, the first visit to Kabul to meet the Taliban leadership at that level.
And you went there clearly to establish the conditions for effective humanitarian assistance by the UN in Afghanistan and for the guarantee that this could be done with the the full cooperation of the Taliban and with them taking fully into concern our own concerns.
It is important to say that Martin Griffiths, beyond the discussions he had, received a letter in which, together with another received today, in which the Taliban have committed not only to guarantee our access to the whole of the territory, but also to provide security to UN convoys reaching insecure areas.
And so our main concern with the security of our staff was taken into account in they made some encouraging, encouraging statements that they wrote in relation to the important questions for us that are the participation of women in work in general, learning, humanitarian work in particular, and the right of girls for all areas, all all levels of education, not to mention a number of others that are related naturally to the safety of our staff, to the guarantee that our premises will be protected.
And another group of questions that are important.
Obviously, these commitments are commitments made.
We will now have to see what happens on the ground.
We know the situation is very complex, we know that in different parts of Afghanistan there are different approaches to the most distinct areas and we are of course very much concerned in making sure that humanitarian assistance is an entry point for an effective engagement with the Taliban in all other aspects of concern of the international community.
I was also very happy to see that the whole UN family came together.
The whole UN family came together in the preparation of our flesh appeal, came together in assuming exactly the same strategy in relation to Afghanistan.
Today, Filippo Grande is in Kabul, several other agency will be going to Kabul to make sure that in their specific areas we implement the different aspects that we have discussed in the visit of Martin Griffith.
And so there is a strong commitment of the UN to deliver, to deliver humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan, but at the same time to fully engage with the Taliban in relation to all the matters of concern that I have expressed several times.
But there is another observation I would like to make.
Humanitarian aid will not solve the problem if the economy of Afghanistan collapses and we know that the risk is enormous and that there is a dramatic lack of cash.
We cannot even operate if the banks are not operating even to pay the salaries to our staff.
So knowing that there are a number of complex, complex questions in relation to these, knowing that different institutions have different obligations according to distinct aspects coming from past resolutions and things of the sort.
But my appeal to the international community is to find ways to allow for an injection of cash in the Afghan economy, allowing the economy to breathe and avoiding A collapse that would have devastating consequences for the people of Afghanistan and possible trigger a maximum exodus with the consequences that you can imagine in relation to the stability of the countries of the region.
So understanding all the problems and all the questions that many countries and institutions have raised, I my appeal is for mechanisms to be found to make sure that we don't let the economy of Afghanistan collapse.
Thank you very much, Mr Secretary General, we now have time for some questions.
And it's first of all, I just want to say it's very great to see my friends here from the the UN correspondents here based in Geneva.
And let's see who the first question could go to from Geneva ATSRTS.
Lawrence, nice to see you.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Thank you, Secretary General, there.
There has been, there have been some warnings on conditional humanitarianism, for instance by the ICRC President Peter Maurer.
And we could also hear from stakeholders within the UN system similar concerns in in the recent weeks.
For instance, WHO are you reassured about that after that conference today?
And there have been also some calls for more inclusive humanitarian aid.
And this morning, the **** Commissioner for Human Rights has said that there have been some attacks against Afghan NGOs.
How will the UN be able to be sure that the humanitarian aid will be inclusive now in Afghanistan?
[Other language spoken]
Well, that commitment was made.
But I have to say that what Peter Maurer said today is my full support.
Humanitarian aid abides by humanitarian principles.
[Other language spoken]
And in my opinion, if we want to protect the human rights of the people of Afghanistan, the best way is to move on with the humanitarian aid and they engage the Taliban and take profit of that humanitarian aid to push for those rights to be implemented.
Let's have no illusion, we are not trying to transform Afghanistan into Sweden or Switzerland, but we know that there are a number of basic rights that is essential to implement and they are in the centre of our engagement with the Taliban.
So I don't think that if the de facto authorities of a country misbehave, the solution is to do a collective punishment to their people.
I think we need to have clear, a clear perspective of the primacy of the humanitarian principles at the same time as the total determination to use them as a factor of engagement to make sure that the commitments that were made will be respected.
Having said so, I think that we have today in Afghanistan, in concrete terms, different situations in different areas.
And of course, we have in several areas very dramatic violations of human rights.
You have in others a more secure and normal situation.
But as you can imagine, what is news is not when a dog bites a man.
What is news is when a man bites a dog.
And so obviously any incident, any problem gets much more attention than the things that are running a little bit better.
So, not discounting that we face still very serious problems of human rights and the being fully in solidarity with what today was affirmed by the **** Commissioner for Human Rights, I think it's important to launch a strong programme of humanitarian aid and to use it as a leverage in order to engaging with the Taliban, make human rights those years move forward.
Thank you very much.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Thank you for taking my question.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
dollars were raised, but.
Can you can we know the specific amount of the the specific?
Amount by.
The end of the day, thank you.
[Other language spoken]
We still have more people to talk than those that have talked.
[Other language spoken]
And as I said, the the this was not a pledging conference.
This was an event, **** level event to mobilise solidarity to Afghanistan and we launched the flesh appeal to support it.
But many of the interventions referred specifically to the flesh appeal and many referred to support to countries of the region, which is part of an appeal that was launched by UNHCR just a few days ago, and many refer to other aspects of their support to Afghanistan.
So if we take what was said until now, more than 1.1 billion pledges were made, but I cannot tell you the exact number that corresponds to the flesh appeal in itself.
But of course, all the money is needed for all the purposes.
[Other language spoken]
France Press.
Christophe.
Thank you for taking my question.
Secretary General, you were talking about the importance to to talk with the Taliban and to engage with them.
Would you be ready to go to Kabul and under what condition and when?
This is something to decide at the right moment when the right conditions are met.
[Other language spoken]
Thank you, Secretary General.
[Other language spoken]
Did the UN receive written assurances from Taliban that aid agencies and their partners would be able to operate freely in Afghanistan and have complete control of their operations?
[Other language spoken]
The answer is yes.
The in the letter that we received 2 documents, 1 was guaranteeing the full humanitarian work of the UN and the respect by the Taliban to that full humanitarian work.
And the second there they are available to provide security, to provide even escorts when there are situations of insecurity that will justify it.
So not only there is an attitude of acceptance, but there is an attitude of support.
That was what was written.
[Other language spoken]
I believe we we will be circulating, if you haven't already received it, Martin Griffith's statement to the conference in which the very key excerpts from that letter are outlined and you can refer to that.
Directly.
But it's also important to underline that in that letter, the Taliban also made appeals to the international community to support Afghanistan in different other aspects in relation to in relation to development, in relation to drugs, in relation to questions of security.
So I mean, there is a clear interest of the Taliban also to engage with international community.
And I think this is what gives also the international community some leverage.
I mean, and it is, it is relevant to say that, I mean, the Taliban can see that, that it would be important to address also the international community through this conference.
[Other language spoken]
Let me now read a question to us from the Total News Agency of Afghanistan.
And this is from Haider Shah Omid, who is in Kabul.
He was unable to tune in today, but we appreciate him very much for sending us 2 questions to you.
Secretary General, is the Taliban government a deterrent or a facilitator to your operation in raising funds and delivering humanitarian support in Afghanistan?
I'll let you answer that and then I'll ask the follow up.
As I as I said, the visit that Martin Griffith paid to Kabul was very useful and I believe it has helped to create the conditions for cooperation in humanitarian assistance.
And follow up, there are reports that currently people were deprived from accessing food and other basic needs.
However, the Taliban rejects these allegations.
How are you going to make sure people in need in every corner of the country will equally access the assistance you provide?
Do you trust the Taliban?
By being there, by going everywhere and by engaging with the Taliban to make it possible.
[Other language spoken]
Thank you very much, Secretary General.
How serious now is the possibility of a complete economic collapse in Afghanistan?
[Other language spoken]
The financial system for the present moment is extremely limited in its capacity, which means that a number of basic economic functions cannot be delivered.
And of course, for people, they had, as you know, the possibility to get a limited amount of cash, but with enormous difficulties, we are having also enormous difficulties.
And I mean, an economy doesn't work without the blood, and the blood of the economy is cash.
[Other language spoken]
So, as I said, I think it is important to avoid the collapse of the economy and I think the international community is to find the ways to do it without violating international rules and norms, and there are situations in the past where similar things were dealt with.
Thank you very much.
We have a number of journalists who have tuned in online and I'd like to give the floor to Peter Kenny from Anadulu Agency.
Thanks for taking my question.
Mr Secretary General, I would just like to ask you, you've spoken about the linkage between financial aid and as a lever for human rights delivery.
But isn't this going to make it incredibly difficult from an economical point of view when there's sort of de facto government, which is the Taliban are the ones who are going to be administering the situation?
I think Martin, would you like to address that?
[Other language spoken]
Manage aid programme given the nature of the Taliban, yeah, what?
Well, we'd deliver aid everywhere in the world and we have delivered humanitarian assistance during the first period in which the Taliban were ruling Afghanistan.
[Other language spoken]
I would now like to give the floor to Catherine Fiankan Bokonga from France Van Quat.
Yes, hello, Mr Secretary General, and good to see you, Melissa.
Thank you for being with us today in Geneva.
I would like to ask a question regarding the guarantees related to the great achievements made for the last 20 years for the rights of women, for the access to health, for the freedom of expression.
What are the guarantees?
Because this morning the **** Commissioner of Human Rights said that there was a gap between what was said and also the facts in the field.
[Other language spoken]
It's exactly because there are no guarantees that is important to engage and to engage in a way in which I would say we are simultaneously providing an important service to the people of Afghanistan.
And that gives us the moral authority to say that a number of things need to happen in relation to, namely a matter of great, great concern for me in in all situations around the world, which is the question of the rights of women and girls.
Thank you very much, little Stefan.
[Other language spoken]
Secretary General, I have a question about since the US and the NATO troops left Afghanistan now is actually the UN now ready to to play the absolute, absolute leadership role there?
And do you get some support from member states to to do to do that?
That's my first question.
And I have a little question about the the absence of Russia and China at this conference.
Could you explain this?
Thank you very much.
Now Russia and China will be speaking during the session.
I think there are false expectations about what the UN can do.
I mean, we have no army and we have seen even those that had armies, what they manage.
We have not the financial capacity that can't reserve both from the positive and the negative because they can give money or freeze accounts.
We have not that possibility.
We are present in Afghanistan with our people having nothing else but our commitment to the Afghan people.
So to think that the UN has the capacity to solve the problems that during 20 years were not solved by hundreds of thousands of soldiers, if I don't know how many countries, is a complete nonsense.
So the UN will do its best because we are there, because we never gave up, because we never went out, because we have been there from the beginning, because we will.
We are totally committed to support the Afghan people.
But don't imagine that the UN will be able to determine how the government will be, how the government will rule, how the situation will evolve.
I mean, our capacity is what it is.
[Other language spoken]
I think what is do is necessary.
I think what we do, namely in the in the in the area of humanitarian aid as a leading role, it is clear.
But to think that the UN is going to solve the problems that so many for so much time with so many trillions have not solved is obviously a complete nonsense.
We can take a couple of more questions from Rhea Novosti, Elisavetta Isakova.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Thank you for.
Taking my question.
[Other language spoken]
One generally you've been talking about.
Engaging with the Taliban.
So do you think it's time?
To delete the Taliban.
From the security.
[Other language spoken]
List of terror organisations.
Those are decisions to be taken by Member States.
When Member States consider that conditions are met for those decisions to be taken, the Secretariat doesn't intend to interfere with those questions because obviously interfering with those questions we would undermine our possibility of action.
The appeal that I made was an appeal that a number of mechanisms or a number of waivers are introduced in order to allow for effective humanity to be delivered and at the same time for the economy not to collapse.
This is, at the present moment, our priority.
Of course, the Security Council, the Member States, will progressively evaluate the situation and they will, I'm sure, take the decisions at the right moment that are justified by what happens.
Thank you very much.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Could you, Secretary General, could you describe how UNUN agencies are ready to send especially international Staffs to Afghanistan in order to, you know, resume the full operation on the ground?
Now the UN flights have started from Kandahar to Kabul.
They were already operating from, sorry, from Islamabad to Kabul.
They were already operating from Islamabad to Iraq, Mazar and and Kandahar.
So I think now we are creating the conditions to have the possibility of when we consider it adequate because there are logistical questions, there are sometimes it's not to have too many people that we do the right thing because of the difficulties in supplies and in others that are still present.
But now I think all the conditions are met for the agencies to be able to progressively put in place whatever mechanism they will consider necessary.
But they are now delivering according to what is needed.
We have total of 130 international staff in Afghanistan, of which 15 are outside Kabul.
So the system is fully working.
And I might add, thousands of national staff for delivering across the country.
So we have one final question from The Associated Press, Jamie Keaton.
Jamie, are you there?
Your hand is raised virtually.
Give you a few seconds to unmute.
I do see you coming up now, Jamie, we can't hear you.
We see your name, but we can't hear you one more time.
[Other language spoken]
We see that you are yes, we are unmuted, but we can't hear you unfortunately.
I'm very sorry, Jamie, but we are unable to to hear your question.
Thank you very much, everyone for coming to this press briefing, and thank you especially for shining a light on the humanitarian situation that has become even more dramatic for the men, women and children of Afghanistan.
[Other language spoken]