Edited News , Press Conferences | OCHA , UNOG , UNITED NATIONS , WEF
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
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
Institutionalised forced labour by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea constitutes grave violations of human rights – UN report
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Time is running out for starving civilians in Sudan, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday, while talks involving the country’s warring parties continue in Geneva this week.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | WHO , WMO , ILO
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives from the World Health Organization, the World Meteorological Organization, and the International Labour Organization.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
DRC faces a severe humanitarian crisis with 25M in need and rising conflict-related issues.
1
1
2
Press Conferences | UNCTAD
Publication of the Digital Economy Report 2024: Shaping an environmentally sustainable and inclusive digital future
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA
A gimmer of good news emerged from Gaza on Tuesday as patients returned to at a newly reopened UN health centre in Khan Younis, six months after it was severely damaged and forced to close by heavy fighting, the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) said.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN condemns attacks on Kyiv hospitals, calls for immediate action to protect civilians.
1
1
2
Edited News | WHO
In Gaza, soaring temperatures, hunger and unsanitary conditions present an ever more deadly threat to a population under constant attack, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OHCHR , WHO , OCHA , UNHCR , WFP
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chairs a hybrid briefing, attended by spokespersons and representatives of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR).
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , WMO , IFRC
Hurricane Beryl smashes into Caribbean, turns sights on Mexico As Hurricane Beryl’s destructive path shifted to Mexico on Friday after roiling the Caribbean, UN agencies and partners said that the emergency response was underway, before warning that a very long and damaging hurricane season looks increasingly likely.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | FAO , IFRC , OCHA , WHO
Rolando Gómez of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, attended by spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the World Meteorological Organization, the Food and Agricultural Organization and the World Health Organization.