Millions of Afghan women and children in dire need of assistance: UN
14 September – The Office of the United Nations Coordinator for Afghanistan
today said the humanitarian situation in the country was dramatic, with
millions of civilians - mostly women and children - "too poor or unable
to move" from their villages because of the armed conflict that rages over
half of the territory.
In a statement issued in Islamabad, the UN Office said there were almost
six million vulnerable people inside Afghanistan - or approximately 25 per cent
of the total population. The current caseload of internally displaced persons
is estimated at 900,000 and is expected to reach one million before the end
of the year.
Due to concerns about possible retaliation against Afghanistan after the
11 September terrorist attacks in the United States, the UN evacuated all
of its 75 international staff from the country as a security precaution.
Several hundred staff of non-governmental organizations have also left
Afghanistan.
The UN plans to continue to provide as much life-saving assistance to
the civilian population as possible, the UN Coordinator said. Of particular
importance will be caring for extremely vulnerable families in their places
of origin and internally displaced persons - who are almost totally
dependent on aid to survive. The greatest need is to try to continue food,
shelter and clothing assistance so that people can survive the advancing
winter.
Despite the Afghan people's overwhelming need for help, some important
humanitarian assistance programmes will not be able to continue if
volatility inside the country increases, the statement said. The UN World
Food Programme (WFP) is currently helping feed three million people in
Afghanistan's rural areas alone.
"If this support cannot be continued, massive displacement cannot be
ruled out," the statement said. "At least half may be forced to leave
their homes to avert starvation, seeking survival either within or outside
Afghanistan's borders."
The office of the UN Coordinator said that in the absence of international
personnel, hundreds of dedicated Afghan would undertake their activities
insofar as the situation permitted. It warned, however, that "national
staff have never been called upon to carry out their duties in a crisis
of this magnitude. It must also be recognized that, while they will receive
as much support from Islamabad as possible, as individuals, they will also
be faced with making decisions about the best interest of their own
families."
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