The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News , Press Conferences | OCHA , UNOG , UNITED NATIONS , WEF
UN Press Conference: High-level Ministerial Meeting on Humanitarian Situation in Afghanistan
STORYLINE
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday hailed significant international financial support and solidarity with the people of Afghanistan at a flash appeal in Geneva, in which he appealed for a “lifeline” for the country’s most vulnerable people.
“Today, we have already heard clearly more than $1 billion in pledges…It represents a quantum leap in relation to the financial commitment of the international community towards the Afghan people,” said Mr. Guterres.
In an encounter with journalists on the sidelines of the high-level ministerial meeting in Geneva, Mr. Guterres noted that the fact that nearly 100 Member States had taken part - in addition to more than 30 regional and international organisations – underscored that the crisis in Afghanistan remained a crucial issue for the global community.
The UN top official also reiterated the importance of ensuring that assistance did not come at the expense of hard-won gains for women and minorities in Afghanistan in the last 20 years.
“We are of course very much concerned in making sure that humanitarian assistance is an entry point for effective engagement with the Taliban in all other aspects of concern of the international community,” he said, after appealing for $606 million to get urgent assistance to 11 million people for the next four months.
While immediate concerns have focused on the provision of emergency aid to avert a major humanitarian crisis in the country, Mr. Guterres warned that such assistance “will not solve the problem if the economy of Afghanistan collapses. And we know that the risk is enormous, and that there is a dramatic lack of cash.”
Pressed on the nature of the written assurances that the Taliban delivered in a letter to the UN over the weekend concerning aid assistance, the UN Secretary-General explained that there were in fact “two documents; one was guaranteeing full humanitarian work of the UN and the respect by the Taliban to that full humanitarian work; and the second, that they are able to provide security and even escorts when there are situations of insecurity that would justify it. So not only there is an attitude of acceptance but there is an attitude of support.”
It was also important to underline that the Taliban communiqué also appealed for international support for development, to combat the drug trade and security.
“There is a clear interest of the Taliban also to engage with the international community and I think this is what gives also the international community some leverage.”
Ends
STORY: Humanitarian Situation in Afghanistan – Secretary-General’s Press Conference
TRT: 2’09”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 13 Sept 2021, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Exterior wide shot, United Nations flag flying.
- Wide shot, conference room, journalists and TV cameras, UN Geneva.
- SOUNDBITE (English): UN Secretary-General António Guterres: “Today, we have already heard clearly more than $1 billion in pledges. It is impossible as I have said to say how much of this will be for the flash appeal, but in any case it represents a quantum leap in relation to the financial commitment of the international community towards the Afghan people.”
- Medium shot, journalists taking notes, masked.
- SOUNDBITE (English): UN Secretary-General António Guterres: “We are of course very much concerned in making sure that humanitarian assistance is an entry point for effective engagement with the Taliban in all other aspects of concern of the international community.”
- Medium shot, photographer and journalists with video cameras.
- SOUNDBITE (English): UN Secretary-General António Guterres: “Humanitarian aid will not solve the problem if the economy of Afghanistan collapses. And we know that the risk is enormous, and that there is a dramatic lack of cash.”
- Medium shot, journalist taking notes, masked and wearing headphones.
- SOUNDBITE (English): UN Secretary-General António Guterres: “The letter that we received: two documents; one was guaranteeing full humanitarian work of the UN and the respect by the Taliban to that full humanitarian work; and the second, that they are able to provide security and even escorts when there are situations of insecurity that would justify it. So not only there is an attitude of acceptance but there is an attitude of support.”
- Wide shot, journalists, podium to rear.
- Wide shot, photographer resting on knees, podium to rear.
- Medium shot, journalists conferring.
- Medium shot, journalists sitting one behind the other.
- Medium shot, flag alley.
- Wide shot, flag alley.
- Close, flag alley.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The telecommunications shutdowns in Afghanistan in September had serious and far-reaching impacts on people’s lives, according to a briefing paper published today by the UN Human Rights Office and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence at the UN Geneva press briefing made the following comment on the ASEAN declaration on the right to a healthy environment.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | IFRC , OCHA , OHCHR , UNCTAD , UNHCR , UNOG , WHO , WMO
Rolando Gómez, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section at the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the representatives and spokespersons of the World Meteorological Organization, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Health Organization, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
1
1
1
Edited News | IFRC , OCHA , WMO
‘Catastrophic’ Hurricane Melissa hours from landfall in Jamaica as humanitarians rush to save lives
Millions in Jamaica and across the Caribbean are bracing for massive impact from Hurricane Melissa on Tuesday as the UN and partners are warning of a “severe” and “immediate” humanitarian threat.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNEP
UNEP Press conference: Minamata Convention on Mercury COP6
1
1
Edited News | WHO
‘We need all routes to open’: in Gaza WHO calls for ramp-up of medevacs, easier access for essentials
Two weeks since a ceasefire agreement entered into force in Gaza the World Health Organization (WHO) noted progress on the flow of aid while calling for more evacuations of critical patients and eased entry for essential medicines and supplies.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | WHO , WMO
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives of the World Health Organization and the World Meteorological Organization.
1
5
1
1
Press Conferences | UNCTAD
Press conference on the launch of the Sevilla Forum on Debt, on the margins of the sixteenth United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD16).
1
12
1
1
Edited News | WMO , UNITED NATIONS
UN chief urges boost to life-saving weather warning systems, stresses role of climate change science
No country is safe from the devastating impacts of extreme weather — and saving lives means making early-warning systems accessible to all, UN chief António Guterres said on Wednesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
Gazans’ response to food distributions ‘overwhelming’ as humanitarians scale up under fragile ceasefire
In Gaza, the ceasefire is enabling UN humanitarians to reach more desperate people with life-saving food, but greater access is needed to contain the spread of famine.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNFPA , WFP , WHO , OCHA , WMO
Alessandra Vellucci, Director, United Nations Information Service Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Populations Fund, the World Food Programme, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Health Organization and the World Meteorological Organization.