The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
A "major major" humanitarian crisis is looming in Afghanistan, UNHCR warns
A "major" humanitarian crisis is looming in Afghanistan, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday, amid ongoing uncertainty about the situation for vulnerable Afghans seeking shelter across the country's borders. The “reality is the displacement crisis is inside Afghanistan”, with “more than 600 000 Afghans” displaced this year, “80 per cent of which are women and children,” said UNHCR spokesperson, Babar Baloch, who was speaking from Pakistan. In an appeal to the world not to turn away its attention or focus from Afghans and Afghanistan, he warned that we cannot allow this “to become a humanitarian catastrophe”. Describing the situation at the country’s borders with Pakistan, Mr. Baloch said the UNHCR has “not seen a large refugee influx…crossing over into Pakistan and Iran or other places,”. The explanation for this is unclear: “It could be that some of those people may not think they have the right documents, others may not be so comfortable in terms of confronting armed guards at the borders,” he said. “Afghans are still able to come through Pakistan,” he explained, “but it is very regulated,” and you must show documents such as your ID card, passport or visa. Mr. Baloch’s appeal follows the UNHCR’s repeated call on Tuesday for Afghanistan’s neighbouring States to keep their borders open to those fleeing Afghanistan. Spokesperson Andrej Mahecic warned that many of those wishing to cross into countries such as Pakistan or Iran may not have the documents they need, but may “nevertheless have international protection needs”. Also on Tuesday UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his deep concern at the deepening humanitarian and economic crisis in the country and the threat of a total collapse in basic services. “Now more than ever”, said Mr. Guterres, “Afghan children, women and men need the support and solidarity of the international community”. Mr. Guterres and several other senior UN officials restated their commitment to stay and deliver urgently needed supplies to the millions in the country who need humanitarian aid to survive.
ENDS
STORY: Afghanistan Borders Update UNHCR
TRT: 02:33”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 03 Sept 2021, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Exterior wide shot, United Nations flag flying.
2. Wide shot, briefing room
3. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Babar Baloch, UNHCR spokesperson: “Afghanistan has an internally displacement crisis that we have been trying to talk about, what we are emphasising is that that cannot be allowed to become a humanitarian catastrophe and that's why we have been trying to appeal to the world that don't turn away your attention or focus at this stage from Afghans and Afghanistan”.
4.Mid of cameraman
5. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Babar Baloch, UNHCR spokesperson: “Afghans are still able to come through Pakistan. We have some reports of Iran and other locations, but it is very regulated and then managed flow at the borders. So you need to have your documents to show it could be your ID card. It could be a passport. It could be a visa”.
6.Close of journalist writing
7. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Babar Baloch, UNHCR spokesperson: “So far, what we have not seen is a large refugee influx in terms of a big number crossing over into Pakistan and Iran or other places, we're still trying to analyse what are the reasons behind it. It could be that some of those people may not think they have the right documents, others may not be so comfortable in terms of confronting armed guards at the borders”.
8.Mid of reporter in briefing room
9. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Babar Baloch, UNHCR spokesperson: “So we're still trying time to analyse in terms of why there are not many people coming, there could be many, many reasons, but the reality is the displacement crisis is inside Afghanistan. I mean, we're talking about more than six hundred thousand Afghans that have been displaced during this year”.
10.Mid or reporters in briefing room
11. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Babar Baloch, UNHCR spokesperson: “If you look at the displacement numbers, 80 per cent are women and children, and we know Afghanistan is a landlocked country. If support, if trade is not going into there, we could be facing a major, major crisis.”
12. Wide of briefing room
13. Wide of cameraman
14. Mid of journalist
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNHCR , WHO
The past two months of intensifying Israeli bombardment in Lebanon have been the “deadliest and most devastating” in decades as communities uprooted from the front line have continued to flee across the border to Syria, UN humanitarians said on Friday.
2
1
3
Edited News | UNOG
“State of Silence”: Diego Luna brings the fight to protect the press to the UN in Geneva
Mexican actor, producer and director Diego Luna has brought his fight to protect journalists all the way to the United Nations, in Geneva. Together with documentary director Santiago Masa, he is putting a spotlight on the silencing of investigative journalism in his country, and on the incredibly high price that many journalist have to pay in pursuit of truth.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
“Today marks the grim milestone of 1,000 days since the Russian Federation launched its full-scale armed attack on Ukraine. Our Office has verified that at least 12,162 civilians have been killed since 24 February 2022, among them 659 children. At least another 26,919 civilians have been injured,” UN Human Rights spokesperson Jeremy Laurance told the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
With COP29 in Baku now in its second - and final - week, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk has reiterated his call for urgent human rights-based climate action.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL , UNICEF , WHO
Lebanon: Increased violence along Blue Line and ‘horrific new normal’ for children
In southern Lebanon, peacekeepers have witnessed “shocking” destruction of villages along the Blue Line and ever-deeper Israeli ground incursions, while the situation of children across the country is becoming increasingly desperate, the UN said on Tuesday.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | UNRWA
The head of the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, confirmed on Monday that a large convoy of humanitarian aid was looted inside Gaza at the weekend, amid a near-total a breakdown in law and order and harassment of the agency’s staff by Israeli soldiers.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA
In the nearly 1,000 days since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, thousands of civilians have been killed, the country’s energy infrastructure is on the brink and drones terrify communities on the front line, the UN’s top aid official in the country said on Friday.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | OHCHR
Mexican actor, producer and director Diego Luna took a break from the big screen on Thursday to highlight the dangers faced by journalists in his country and beyond, condemning murders of reporters everywhere as “a scandal”.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA
Gaza: ‘People are losing hope’ as aid access is refused to north, warns UNRWA
Besieged northern Gaza is a place of dead bodies lying in the streets and hospitals running out of blood packs – a situation that’s “nothing short of catastrophic”, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence & Ajith Sunghay, Head of UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, on Gaza
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR
Sudan’s displaced have endured “unimaginable suffering” in their search for shelter from the country’s ongoing war, UN humanitarians warned on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
‘Exceptional achievement’: Humanitarians reach over 105,000 with polio vaccine in north Gaza
Despite ongoing attacks and access challenges, humanitarians have managed to inoculate over 105,000 children in north Gaza with the second and final dose of the oral polio vaccine, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.