INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The devastating earthquake on Wednesday is just one of several emergencies facing Afghanistan, and continued dialogue with the Islamic
Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) authorities remains the only way to address ongoing challenges in the country, the UN Security Council heard on
Thursday. Before being briefed by Ramiz Alakbarov, Acting Special Representative at the UN&s Mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA, and Martin
Griffiths, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator ambassadors stood and observed a minute of silence for the victims of Wednesday&s deadly
earthquake. Alakbarov provided an update on the earthquake, before turning to the ongoing human rights, economic and humanitarian
challenges the country is facing. He said despite difficulties, &we firmly continue to believe that a strategy of continued engagement and
dialogue remains to be the only way forward for the sake of the Afghan people, as well as for the sake of regional and international
security.& He also said the human rights situation in Afghanistan remains precarious. He stated that the economic crisis is perhaps the
single most important issue in Afghanistan, and a potential driver of conflict and misery
It is estimated the economy contracted by up to 40 percent since August last year. Unemployment could reach 40 percent this year, up from
13 percent in 2021, while the official poverty rate could climb as high as 97 percent he said. &If the economy is not able to recover and
grow meaningfully and sustainably, then the Afghan people will face repeated humanitarian crises; potentially spurring mass migration and
making conditions ripe for radicalization and renewed armed conflict,& he warned. According to him, Afghanistan also remains highly
vulnerable to future climate and geopolitical shocks
Drought, floods, disease outbreaks affecting both people and livestock, as well as natural disasters like the earthquake, are further
deepening vulnerabilities. Alakbarov stressed the need to prioritize rural areas, with focus on agricultural and food systems to prevent
This will also help to reduce child labour, improve health outcomes, and create the environment that will enable social development and
change. &It will also pave the way for substitution agriculture to replace the poppy cultivation, allowing us to capitalize on the de facto
authority&s recent ban on poppy and narcotic cultivation,& he said. &While doing so we need to continue to provide adequate attention to
clearance of widely unexploded ordnance of war
This bottom-up approach to economic recovery is shared by the de facto authorities and would help the most vulnerable.& He said armed
opposition attacks against the de facto authorities doubled in May, compared to the previous month and that while the number of Daesh
attacks has generally decreased, their geographic scope has widened from six to 11 provinces. &We cannot exclude the possibility of
increased instability if peoples& rights are denied and if they do not see themselves in their government,& he said. Alakbarov said in the
coming month, the UN will seek to promote political consultation and inclusion, and engagement with the IEA will continue. Addressing
humanitarian response, Alakbarov highlighted how aid partners have reached some 20 million Afghans between January and April this year
alone, including nearly 250,000 returnees and some 95,000 people affected by floods and weather-related events. However, the humanitarian
crisis persists, and sustained support will be needed through next year, he said.Griffiths, the UN&s relief chief meanwhile reported that
more than 190 aid organizations are operating in Afghanistan, where nearly half the population, 19 million people, are facing food
insecurity. This includes more than six million people at emergency level & the highest number of any country in the world at risk of
famine-like conditions, he said. Griffiths also underscored the pressing need for funding
A $4.4 billion humanitarian plan for Afghanistan is only one-third funded, despite pledges of $2.4 billion made at the launch in
March. The post Talking to the IEA is the ‘only way forward&, UNAMA official first appeared on Ariana News.
