UN: Afghanistan Engulfed in Crisis

DIDPress: The head of UN humanitarian aid has stated that Afghanistan remains a top priority due to its intertwined crises, including climate change, women’s rights, displacement, and poverty.

Tom Fletcher, the UN’s humanitarian aid chief, in an interview with Agence France-Presse on Wednesday (10 Sawr) expressed regret over “ruthless cuts” to humanitarian aid budgets, saying, “We have identified 17 crises worldwide where our engagement is most essential and critical. Afghanistan is at the top of this list.”

Fletcher’s visit to Afghanistan follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to reduce foreign aid, a move that sent shockwaves globally. The United States has been the largest donor to Afghanistan, providing $3.71 billion in humanitarian and development aid since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 and their imposition of a strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia.

The UN official stated, “We are now in an era where we must ruthlessly prioritize, make brutal decisions… decisions that are truly about life and death; where to operate and whose lives to save.” He added, “To understand the scale of a crisis, you can look at Sudan; for intensity and violence, at Gaza. Afghanistan presents a different kind of challenge, but it remains an immense one.”

Fletcher noted that climate change has a severe impact on the country, stating that “in the future, it will drive needs even more than conflict.”
He continued, “This is compounded by existing poverty and decades of instability and war.”

The state of women’s rights in the country has added further layers to this “crisis upon crisis.” After meeting with Taliban officials in Kabul and Kandahar, Fletcher said there is a need for “dialogue” to “push for a change in perspective” on women’s rights.

He added, “It was encouraging for me that people were willing to engage in dialogue, and these conversations were not merely defensive.”