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In the 9,118th meeting of the UN Security Council, the situation in Afghanistan was discussed. 

Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), opened the meeting with the following statement (excerpt sourced from ReliefWeb),

The people in Afghanistan continue to face extreme hardship and uncertainty. And let me share some numbers with you.

Close to 19 million people are facing acute levels of food insecurity, including 6 million people at risk of famine.

More than half of the population – some 24 million people – need humanitarian assistance.

And an estimated 3 million children are acutely malnourished. They include over 1 million children estimated to be suffering from the most severe, life-threatening form of malnutrition. And without specialized treatment, these children could die.

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Around 25 million people are now living in poverty and three quarters of people’s income is spent on food. There’s been a 50 per cent decline in households receiving remittances; unemployment could reach 40 per cent; and inflation is rising due to increased global prices, import constraints and currency depreciation.

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These are the figures, Mr. President, and they’re devastating and frankly they’re difficult to comprehend. We worry that they will soon become worse. Once the cold weather sets in, food and fuel prices – already high – will skyrocket, and families will have to choose between feeding their children, sending them to school, taking them to a doctor when they fall sick, or keeping them warm.

Mr. President, Afghanistan’s problems are, unfortunately, neither new nor unique.

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There are many musts, Mr. President. But there are many opportunities. The path is clear, and the dangers equally so.

The people of Afghanistan are still there. They have shown incredible resilience over the decades and in this last year. Our task is to help them to prosper, to flourish and to be safe. Thank you very much.

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