United Nations has expressed concern over food insecurity, food insufficiency, and the humanitarian crisis in large and added that 95 of the Afghan population cannot eat sufficiently while the percentage is one hundred in female-headed households.
The UN has said that the number of those experiencing acute hunger rose to 23 million in March 2022 from 14 million in July 2021.
Deputy Special Representative for the Secretary-General and President Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov in a press release made public on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, said that acute hunger in Afghanistan has led people to resort to desperate measures as skipping meals or taking high debts.
Ramiz Alakbarov in particular said that the situation has adversely affected children in Afghanistan wherein 3.5 million minors need nutrition treatment.
“Hospital wards are filled with children suffering from malnutrition, smaller than they should be, many weighing at one year what an infant of six months would weigh in a developed country, and some are so weak that they are not able to move.” Said Alakbarov in the statement.
The Deputy Special Representative further added, continued drought, financial and banking systems are other contributors to the crisis. The latter has made 80 percent of Afghan people facing debt.
Calling on the World Community to increase the level of humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, Alakbarov acknowledged that the UN and humanitarian partners will scale up response activities reaching remote areas of Afghanistan.
It comes as the United Nations, UK, Germany, and Qatar are holding a conference on March 31 that will be concentrated on Afghanistan’s situation.
